(Croma) A Heart For a Soul
by TheTrueWizardKitty
Summary: Crona is busy in his attempts to fit in with the rest of the group this holiday season. Through many series of awkward events, he is slowly managing to get a foothold on the concept of Christmas and the New Years. However, backstage an old enemy is slowly re-awakening, in desperation to bring back their time of glory.
1. Chapter 1: Silence

A Heart For a Soul

Chapter 1: Silence

The dark room enveloped all of his sight. Not a sound could be heard except for the slow yet rapid sound of his own breathing as it took its time to wane. The rise and fall of his chest slowed, the beating of his heart could no longer be felt in his head. Once again, everything was simply… silent.

He liked the silence. It was calming. It was relaxing. It was a breath of fresh air. A sudden slight shift in the lighting of the room caught his interest. He stared over at his window witch was open. It seemed different in a way. It was lower than he remembered it. The room was warmer than he remembered it, yet still freezing cold. He took his time to flicker his dilated pupils side to side, taking in the rest of the room. He wasn't used to this at all. His bed was too comfortable. His stomach was too full. He stared out the window and noticed the cause for the change in lighting. The large clouds filling up the sky had wandered from the large, yellow moon in the sky, it's devilish smile and chilling single visible eye peaking in the room. It made him uncomfortable.

He brought one single hand up to his sweat-coated forehead, calming himself with his own touch. However, as soon as his arm emerged from the blankets and touched the crisp air in the room, it pleaded to be back under. His nose. For some reason it kept bugging him. It seemed colder than the rest of his face. As difficult as it was, he forced himself to ignore it, repositioning himself away from the cold window. He kept his eyes wide open. He did not want to fall back asleep. He liked it here. It was completely… silent.

He did not want to fall back asleep into the chaotic world waiting for him on the inside of his head. He had that dream again… it was so fuzzy, he couldn't quite remember what it was, yet somehow, he knew it wasn't good. He was terrified to one day wake up and find that he remembered the dream. It was torture. It was horror. It was completely silent. He liked that very much. He closed his eyes. The tips of his eyelids itched with anticipation to touch eachother again, to send him reeling back into the slow and steady condition of the restful state he longed to feel. He took a large breath, hoping to clear his mind before curling up in his blankets. They were so warm. So comforting.

Why wasn't the night over? Why can't he wake up now? Or better yet, why can't he just stay asleep forever? In the dreamless silence. That would be perfect. He longed to be alone in the silence, alone to think some more, but he knew that if he were to stay there, he would vanish into the black of night, camouflaged for all eternity until he dissolves into nothingness… He looked up and around again, taking in the room once more, this time, forcing himself to become interested in order to get something else into his brain. He felt so awkward doing so, but what more was there to do? So he once again allowed his eyes to sponge up every last detail of the room, its simplistic design calming his senses. The size of it was smaller than he'd known, but it gave a homey sense of comfort. He didn't need much room to move around anyways. He had one small bookshelf in the corner, the books to dark to be read from this distance, though just from the size of the spines he could have named each and every one. His schoolbooks, his storybooks, his learning books, all of them stacked in row apon row. Next to them, here and there, kick knacks. Just small little objects with little significance, but an entire story behind them. He loved to keep kick knacks. They were like little treasure boxes where he would put all of his good memories.

All of his good memories have some kind of humiliation within them. He knew this for a fact. Many times he had stood there, staring at the knick-knack, recalling the story, only for his face to turn red and his attention forced away as he remembered a part to the story that would be undesirable to his mind. That was just who he was. He was too awkward to make a true good memory for an appropriate knick knacks, even his best memory ever had included him showing an extreme weakness, followed by humiliation cause by his weapon partner. He sighed and allowed his eyes to follow the invisible lines down his room.

His desk sat next to it, slightly bare, only with a stack of school work along with a couple of pencils, an empty glass, and a photo. That was were he spent a fair bit of his time. It was ruining his posture. He sat there much too often, his head down and his arms placed on the cold wood as one of his hands would scribble out some writing or a drawing, while the other would hold the paper firmly in place. His chair was rested crookedly underneath it, the back facing the opposite side to where he had stood up from it. His eyes moved down the drawers and onto the floor, where a stray piece of crumpled up paper lay imperfectly on the edge of his small, circular carpet. The waste bin was right next to his desk. It was always full of paper. Many hours spent creating what he thought at the time were masterpieces only to find that they are nothing to be shared, and nothing to be read again. That was where all of his ideas went into. It was very rare that he would ever keep an idea, written or illustrated.

On the other side of his room was his closet. It wasn't special, just simply two doors in the wall with a bunch of assorted clothes that he knew he would hardly ever wear. He peered into the door's mirror, scanning the rest of the room through it. On the floor were stray clothing, empty dishes, and masses of crumpled up paper. His backpack rested against the mirror, blocking off a slight bit of his view. His room was a mess. Oh well, he was too tired to care about it now. He shifted over in his bed, some of the collected heat vanishing into the open air. He sighed as he felt all consciousness come back to him for a couple of seconds before he slowly fell back into an fatigued state. There was his bed stand, a tiny little circular table suspended on three twirling metal bars, just below his window. Sitting on it was a digital clock, it's red glowing letters shining bright in the low light. Resting next to it was a short novel he was currently reading in his spare time. He loved to read. Reading brought him into a new world. He stared back at the glowing red numbers. They were tricky for him to look at at first. He squinted his eyes in impatience, catching a slight glimpse of what the numbers were supposedly displaying. 2:18 AM.

He sighed and turned back around, giving his eyes a rest from the light and staring back at his wall. His bed was pressed right into the corner of the room. He shifted himself towards the dimly lit low-saturated green wallpaper, huddling up close to it, attempting to take in its warmth. He closed his eyes. He knew he would come to regret his train of thought, however, it told him at this instant that he didn't care if he had another nightmare. For now, he just wanted to sleep. He hoped secretly to himself that he could make it through the night without a single dream. That would be nice. He liked the silence.

A sudden start of sound tore him from his restful state. His mind had been awake for a long time by this point, he was simply not replenished enough to wake up his body. He moaned and twisted in his bed towards the source of the sharp beeping sound as a second shock rippled through the dead air. He slapped his hand down onto the top of his alarm, sighing and staring at the time. 7:00. It was too early. He wanted to sleep some more. He wanted more silence. He told himself that. So, he closed his eyes once more, just wanting a few more minuets to take in the last little bit of silence, but it was no use. There was no longer silence in the house. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he could hear the slight sounds around him, the running of the shower, the toaster popping, the rusting of the mail in someone's hands.

He pushed himself up off of his pillow. A blinding white light floated in from his window. He squinted at it, but turned away, not wanting to stare at it any longer. His arms caught a sudden chill as his bare skin touched the cool air of the surrounding room. It was colder than usual, that was for sure. His simple tank top and boxers would no longer be a proper cover for sleep. He pulled himself out of bed and wandered over to his closet, peering into the mirror. His hair stuck out in multiple direction due to his restless sleep the night prior. He did his best to fix it, running his finger through it like a comb and pressing down a couple of pieces to his head. It didn't work very well, but it was better than before. He yawned and stretched, attempting to savor the last of the comfort of the silence of his sleep before his life suddenly became significantly worse.

He felt a slight tugging and tightening of his muscles right in between his shoulder blades, followed by a watered down sharp pain. He had become so used to the pain from his back, he hardly even noticed at times. A small swirl of black liquid emerged before forming into the recognizable shape of his demonic weapon partner.

"Oi, Crona! Stop staring into space! You already woke me up with that dumb alarm of yours, now go get me some food!" The black-blooded demon's voce was shrill hand harsh, piercing the young meister's freshly rested ears like a hundred sewing needles.

"Okay…" He sighed, yawing once more, not really paying any attention to anything. He hardly even remembered if he had said something back to the demon, going over the last few seconds over and over in his head.

"Hey! Idiot! Wake up! You're falling asleep on your feet!" And at that, Ragnarok's tiny balled up hand hit the back of Crona's head sharply, causing the meister to buckle over slightly. He took a second to regain his balance before rubbing his eyes. He was slowly waking up, his heavy feet and drowsy eyes were slowly fading away from his focus, and now instead he focused on the day ahead of him. A quiz in Mr. Sid's class, followed by the due date for a paper in Professor Stein's class. It was going to be a long day.

A small, yet sudden rapping coming from his door quickly caught Crona's attention. Both him and his weapon's heads slowly turned towards the source as a chipper yet calming voice sounded off from the other side.

"Crona? Are you awake?" She sounded off. He opened his mouth to respond but she continued before he could speak. "Breakfast is ready, we have to get to school!"

"C-Coming!" He called back. He slid open the door to his closet and pulled out some clean clothes, beginning to change. He selected his regular outfit, his fitted black-blood robe, and rolled it up to slide it on easily. Unfazed by the daily routine, the pestered tiny demon began to batter Crona's head in impatience.

"Hurry up, Jackass! I'm hungry!" He shouted out before becoming reabsorbed into the timid meister's back. Crona slipped on his robe and straightened it around his legs. "Hey! You dumb pansy, you take as much time to dress as a girl!"

"I'm sorry," Crona let out the words in an unnaturally soft voice, "I'm tired…"

"Well I'm hungry, and you're moving too slow!" The demon re-emerged from Crona's back, resting hunched over onto the meister's pale pink hair. Crona attempted to shrug him off, a state of exhaustion loomed over him. He longed to crawl back into his bed until his body told him to awaken, yet here he was, making his way towards the door. His eyes were half closed as he opened up the door, slowly trudging down the hallway and towards the kitchen. He hated the mornings, especially those before school. He felt too tired to really notice the things around him that would usually perk him up. However, to the young girl in the kitchen, his morning grumpiness was quite adorable.

"Good morning Crona! How was your sleep?" She knew exactly what the answer was from the near stumble in his step to his half open eyes to the beleaguering Ragnarok aloft his head. She wasn't waiting for an answer. "I made some scrambled eggs and toast, Ragnarok, don't make a mess, okay?"

"Well I never! When have you ever seen me eat messily?" He chuckled sarcastically.

The swordsman below him responded much differently. "Thank you." He mumbled, picking up two small plates and wandering over to the pearly-blue table rested just off-center of the kitchen. As he seated himself down, Ragnarok quickly swiped his plate from Crona's hands, devouring the food in little more than a mouthful. The Pig-tailed meister, still dressed in her green-striped pajamas, wandered over to the stove where she set a kettle onto the burner.

"I'm making some tea. Do you want some? It'll help wake you up, and it's not nearly as bitter as coffee." She called over to him.

Crona was barley paying attention to anything around him. He poked his eggs with his fork, not yet gathering up the strength to lift it to his mouth. Realizing that she had been talking to him, he quickly turned to face her. "Huh? Oh, y-yeah, um, sure I guess so…" He murmured to her.

"Make me some too, please." A third voice sounded from the hallway as a young pale haired boy came walking into the kitchen. His one hand was rested half in his jean pocket while the other was brushing a light blue towel against his wet hair. Crona attempted to avoid eye contact as much as possible. No matter how many times he was told that the weapon was a great friend, he was always a little bit scared of him.

"Good morning, Soul! I made scrambled eggs and toast!" She pointed over to the counter were a third steaming dish sat. Soul dropped his towel to rest over his shoulder as he picked up his food and wandered over to the table. Crona attempted to distract himself from the white-haired scythe sitting across from him by allowing his mind to wander about in his head. Eventually he realized that without him noticing, Ragnarok had vanished back into Crona's blood stream. He must have been really tired to have not noticed. _Lucky Ragnarok, he can sleep all day as he wanted!_ Crona though to himself, eventually pulling some of his eggs towards his mouth. A slight whistle started in the air, gradually growing louder as the kettle made known that it was finished heating their water. In the background he could hear Maka lifting the kettle off of the stove and pouring out the water. In front of him he could hear the flipping of paper as the weapon shuffled through the mail. There were sounds all around him. This was why he hated the mornings. There was too much sound. He truly just enjoyed the silence.

The pink haired swordsman only looked up when he heard the third resident of the house sit in the chair in between the two others. "So, are you two ready for Mr. Sid's quiz today?" She attempted to spark up conversation as she lifted a small scoop of her eggs to her mouth.

"There was a ridiculous amount of homework this week. I don't understand why we have a quiz and a due paper on the same day!" Soul grumbled from across the table.

"I guess that's just how it got planned out. Hey, did either of you two look outside this morning?" Her voice peaked up.

"No, why?" Soul mumbled, attempting to push his food into his cheek so he could speak at least audibly.

"It snowed a little bit!" She exclaimed. "We haven't had snow here for a couple of years!"

Soul moaned in annoyance. "Well, the weather was getting a bit cold, it doesn't surprise me."

Crona was perplexed by the idea of snow in the desert. Sure he had heard of it snowing, but he had never seen snow in his life. He sat for a while, pondering the idea of what it looked like, continuing to poke away at his food. The other two continued to chat on about day-to-day life, paying little mind to the silence of the swordsman. That must have been why it was so bright out this morning. He finished his food slowly and cleaned up his dish, now slightly more awake than before. His racing mind had woken him up, but it sure didn't bring any more amount of focus. I had no idea how he was going to make it through a first period test.

The early morning had already seemed to have waned on forever by the time he was walking out the door. In her concern, Maka had gotten him to change into different clothes, pants, a tee-shirt and a sweater, for an easier way to bundle up for the cold. He felt slightly uncomfortable in all of the layers he had to stack on, but if it really was snowy, then he didn't want to become an icicle right before a quiz. Walking all the way to the Shibusen was always a pain. Maka was the only one who could truly make it all the way up the stairs without nearly collapsing. The large amount of stairs in front of the school were used to provide for extra exercise for the legs, to strengthen them for combat, however, Soul never needed his legs for combat, and Crona had still only been here for just under a year.

This was humiliating. Crona felt like a sandwich, wrapped up in all of these large jackets! Did he really need all of these? Would they have any chance of fitting into his locker? To his relief, he wasn't the only one who Maka had wrapped up in clothing. Soul didn't look to pleased to be Maka's dress-up doll either. However, the moment they made their way down the stairs and out the lobby of the apartment, Crona was glad that he had been bundled up. The cold air hit him like a rock and seemed to pierce his skin. Oh, how he desperately wanted to just stay in bed today! Not to mention how bright it was. The reflection of the sun off of the snow was a real eyesore to the three teenagers. Crona didn't know how to deal with the snow. He guessed that the only upside would be that Ragnarok wouldn't even bother to come out today. When he first caught sight of the strange powder, it was not quite what he expected. He had expected there to be much more, considering how cold it was, yet only a thin layer coated the ground. It had the texture of a powder, but shone with a crystal-like effect, almost to the likeness of sand.

"I-It's cold…" He stuttered out.

"Yeesh, no kidding!" Soul agreed, rubbing his gloved hands over his arms.

"It's not that bad, It could be a lot worse." Maka mumbled as she struggled to fix her obviously crooked tie with her gloved hands. "Oh well, at least we'll have a nice white holiday!"

By the time they had reached the top of the stairs, Crona was ready to collapse. Everything on his outside was bitten with the sheer cold, yet everything on the inside was so over-heated from his exhaustion, he thought he would bake in his own jacket. He was about done for today. He wanted to go back to bed. However, things just got obviously worse. A sudden spray of snow caught his eye, startling him. When he looked over, he found Soul covered in exploded snow. Someone was throwing snowballs at them. Great.

"What the hell?" Soul shouted out in frustration at the hindrance.

"Ya-hoo!" The familiar shrill and unwelcoming voice bellowed off from the distance. "You cannot beat me! I am the mighty assassin Black*Star! I have successfully risen past even you in my perfect attack!" He then let out an obnoxious howling laughter. Crona couldn't see him yet, but it wasn't long before a second snowball came flying out of oblivion, hitting Soul square in the face. He wiped it off in relentless umbrage. Maka let out a slight giggle before continuing on towards the large open doorways of the school. The snow had been pushed away, giving a clear entrance for the students.

Suddenly a third snowball flew out of no where, this time hitting Maka's shoulder. She gasped in surprise before turning back angrily towards the source. "Black*Star!" She shouted towards supposedly nothing. Where on earth was he?

"You will never find me! Ya-Hoo! My hiding spot is too incredible for your puny eyes to find! Endure my godly snowball skills!" He shrieked out.

Maka shrugged in her passing frustration and continued onwards towards the door.

Crona didn't speak a word. It was once again that time where he remained completely silent. In all truthfulness, the only time he ever really talked was when he was alone with someone he trusted. Either that or when he had to settle Ragnarok down from any racket he'd be making. Ragnarok was quite good at pestering Crona and making a fool of him in front of his friends. It humiliated Crona to no end, but he'd learn to deal with it. Eventually the cold had gone as the three of them stepped inside of the warm, dimly lit entry way of the school. It was busy with students wandering to and fro from their classes and lockers, a common sight. The warm air was a refreshment from the insufferable walk from the apartment building to the school, however at the same time it caused a new kind of discomfort.

The three students wandered down the hallway, the walls transforming from its regular dusty white colour to a metallic pale blue as the lockers emerged into sight. If it weren't for the numbers, it would've been nearly impossible for Crona to find his way back to his locker. By now, he felt quite goofy in his large jacket, walking through the building. He was tempted to take it off, however he wouldn't want to make a fuss reorganizing himself with not only his backpack, but the rest of his many layers as well.

Eventually, he was alone, as the two other with him had turned to their locker's area in the hallway. He sighed and continued on walking, slowly making his way to his locker on the other side of the school. He was placed in a subtle down, wanting to hide himself once again. He was alone, and looking like a complete idiot in his jacket. Suddenly, a cheery voice sounded off behind him.

"See you in class, Crona!" Maka called over to him, waving her one hand while her other rested her books against her chest. Crona spun around to face her, and when realizing his situation, he smiled back at her. And with a simple thing, he was already feeling better. He turned around and continued down the repetitive hallways, this time paying no mind to the people around him who could be judging him in his big jacket. He wore a small smile on his face the entire walk down, his eyes following the many lines on the floor.

He was refreshed when he could finally take the dumb thing off. He was not excited for getting back in it later on in the day. His locker was quite bare and empty, sheets of loose paper left forgotten and lying around. He looked back to his map, re-memorizing the route, and picked up his books.

"Peh! Finally I can breathe!" Ragnarok burst from Crona's back, stretching before placing himself back down on the Swordsman's head. "I hope you know how much of an idiot you looked like in that thing!"

"But I have to wear it, otherwise I'll get too cold." Crona's smaller voice spoke back towards the demon.

"I don't care if you get cold! I'm blistering hot in that thing!" He battered Crona's head in resentment as the two made their way down the empty hallway, bickering their own arguments towards eachother, Crona dreading the day ahead.

"Finally!" The young Pig-tailed Meister wandered in through the doorway, stretching her arms as she allowed her backpack to fall off her shoulders and onto the ground below. It truly had been a very long week. However, for a long time, Maka had concealed some kind of plan, and today she was going to put it into action. She had invited the rest of the group over for later on in the day to organize something for the upcoming holiday…

What upcoming holiday? What was coming up? What was he supposed to do for it? He had already suffered through Halloween, and eaten his fill on Thanksgiving, but this time, no one had bothered to tell him what was coming up. He felt embarrassed explaining this to himself, going over a situation over and over in his head… how would he ask? What would he ask? Would he look silly not knowing what is happening? Of course he would. He'd have to ask when Soul wasn't around. But then again, he was running into another roadblock. Soul was always around. He never got time to ask Maka questions. Perhaps he could save it for asking Miss. Marie, but they only ended up getting together every two weeks for a quick counseling session. He didn't know how soon this holiday was.

Of course he was once again not paying attention to anything around him. He always found himself caught up in his own worries. Once again, he only snapped into the conversation around him when he heard his name called. "Crona?" Maka turned to him.

"Huh? W-What?" There was a slight stutter in his voice.

"We're going to put up some decorations, would you like to help?" She smiled. Soul wasn't in the room, now was his chance.

"Um, S-sure…" He didn't know what to say without sounding like an idiot. Just start talking… "Um, well…"

"Yes?" Maka tilted her head.

"Well, I-I've never really celebrated this H-Holiday… W-W-What exactly do, do we do?" He tilted his head down to hide his discomfort.

"Oh! How much of an idiot could I be?" She slapped her head lightly before giggling, "You mean you've never celebrated Christmas or New Years?"

Okay, she was giving names, that is good, we've jumped a hurdle… "Well, not really. What happens?"

"Oh, well it's basically a winter celebration, people celebrate it different ways, but most people put up Christmas trees for decorating, and then they buy and wrap presents for eachother and put them under the tree. We cannot open them until Christmas morning, though! We get a whole two weeks off of school to celebrate, it's a pretty big holiday! The Shibusen even has a big party that they hold each year. It's lots of fun!"

Just as she wrapped up her explanation, an ungraceful rustling was heard from down the hallway. "Damn it!" Soul's voice called out.

"I better go help him, one second." Maka giggled. He watched her go, wandering over to the table where he pretended to find interest in the mail sitting there. A copy of the Death Times lay on the table with the news displayed all over the front. It wasn't long before the two others made their way into the room, carrying boxes appearing to be filled right to the top.

"Man, who thought shoving these into a closet would be a good idea?" Soul bickered, rubbing his forehead in discomfort.

"Well, where else are we going to put them?" Maka mumbled into the box that she was now busy attempting to carefully open without anything falling out.

"D-Do you need any help with anything?" Crona spoke out, softer than he intended.

"Yah," Soul removed his hand from his head and pointed back down the hall. "There's one more box of decorations over in the closet, it's the one resting on the floor under the towels. Could you bring that over here?"

Crona nodded and made his way awkwardly down the hall, attempting to find the box along the way so he wouldn't take a long time. He kneeled down, finding the supposed box and lifting the identical towels off of the top. A slight rustle beside him barley stirred Crona's attention as out of the corner of his eye a small shape approached him.

"What are you doing?" A cheery, high-pitched voice sounded from a small black cat in the doorway of Soul's room. It was Blair. Oh, how Crona couldn't deal with Blair. Eventually, he sucked in a deep breath, lifting the cardboard box off of the ground.

"I-I'm h-h-helping out w-with the d-decorations…" He stuttered out before turning and moving down the hall at a quick pace, hoping the cat wouldn't continue the conversation. To his fortune, she didn't speak again, however she was fallowing his footsteps almost directly as they made their way towards the living room where a small, fake green tree now rested messily in the corner. It was only about 5 feet tall, and had a slightly narrow bottom. The branches were not yet pulled outwards or stylized.

"Ooh! You're setting up a Christmas tree?" Blair piped, hopping from the floor and up onto the head of the couch.

"Yup!" Maka turned ever so slightly to direct her voice towards the cat, "We've always had this little one that we set up each year. We've got to have someplace to put the presents!"

"I-I brought the box," Crona stammered awkwardly as he set it on the floor next to the other two cardboard boxes.

"Thank you, Crona!" Maka beamed at him. He smiled slightly. He had done something right. Crona watched as Maka walked over and tore through the old, worn down tape, exposing the many small decorations inside. Crona couldn't help but let out a slight sound of awe at the shine of the ornaments peering back at him. The pig-tailed Meister giggled at him. "Is this your first time decorating a tree?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah…" He mumbled out of his awkwardness. In all truthfulness, he didn't want many people to know this was the first time he celebrated the winter holiday. He didn't want to be walked through every little step, even though he truly had no clue what he was doing. Eventually, he decided to watch what the others were doing and follow their lead, however, it didn't take long for one of the other two to take mind of Maka's statement.

"Oh, yeah, I guess it is your first Christmas here," Soul spoke to him. Crona bit the inside of his lip in an attempt to shrug it off. "It's lots of fun, trust me! Tomorrow we're gathering our resonance group for a Secret Santa. It's basically where we draw each other's name out of a hat, and who's ever name you pick, you'll have to get them a Christmas gift, but you can't tell them who it's from! Then on Christmas day we'll open up our presents and try to guess who got our name."

Okay, that's fine, information. He needed as much of that as he could get. By the time he looked up, Maka had already nearly finished fixing up the branches of the tree.

"Okay, and, done. Does this look alright?" She asked. Crona observed the tree before nodding shyly.

"Looks great! Now, we need to put on the lights, right?" Soul asked, picking up a line of Christmas lights.

"Yep! You hang that on, I'll start preparing the garland!" She walked over to the second box and pulled a small tangle of strings beaded with small golden circles. She sat herself down on the couch and began to fiddle with the ends. "Come on, Crona! Do you want to help me get some of these organized?"

Without questioning, Crona sat down beside her and stared at the beaded mess. It was probably going to take a while to untangle, but if this is what they would usually do on Christmas, Crona would pitch in. Maka handed him a small pile off the top of her pile and she continued to pull small meter-long pieces out of the bundle.

"We won't need all of them, since we have a smaller tree, but it's better if we're left with extras than if we have to have to go back to untangle more after!" She spoke, not lifting an eye off her work. So, Crona did the same, pulling out bead-string after bead-string, his pile slowly beginning to shrink dramatically.

In the middle of his work, Maka finally announced "Alright, I think that should be plenty! Soul, are you almost done the lights?"

"Yah, almost." He grumbled. "It's harder than it looks to get all the way around the tree when it's all the way in the corner."

"Why didn't you just pull it away from the wall then?" She cocked her head slightly. Soul stopped in his tracks, staring angrily at the tree as he hung up the last of the lights. Maka giggled slightly as Soul kneeled down, plugging the end of the lights into the outlet right behind it. Crona bit back a chuckle.

"That's not cool…" Soul moaned grumpily before walking over to them and picking up a bundle of the garland. "Let's just get the tree decorated."

"Hey, don't try to rush through it! We want to enjoy this decorating!" Maka grinned at him.

"I know, Soul is always trying to just rush right through things! He never stops to savor it!" Blair piped up, her cat-mouth spread in a sarcastic grin. Maka stared at her, an unamused expression plastered on her face. Crona decided it was best to keep quiet as Soul slapped a hand to his own forehead.

A deafening awkwardness filled the room as Blair sat back and enjoyed her little prank. The decorating went on in silence until Maka eventually spoke up.

"I think we have a little bit too much garland, but that's alright." She wrapped one last piece around the bottom of the tree, two or three lines still in her hand.

"Right, next are the ornaments…" Soul wandered over to the third box, picking up a smaller cardboard box containing several shiny red balls with little looped strings attached to the top.

The decorating went on in almost utter silence, the slight comment here and there, a suggestion for a better place for a decoration, or a statement with the potential to start a sentence that just put them back in utter silence. This was why Crona hated that cat. He could tell what Maka was thinking. It was to late for her to make a brush-off comment to end the awkwardness. And so , the tree was slowly decorated.

"There! It looks like we might be done!" Maka declared, pushing aside the last box. Assorted decorations hung from many branches of the tree, gleaming in the light from the window.

"Finally!" Soul stretched and turned around, "I'm off…"

"Wait! We have one more thing we need to do!" Maka suddenly turned and dove right into one of the boxes, pulling out a small shimmering, silver, metallic star. "We still need the finishing touch!"

"You can do it, it's not that big of a deal." Soul walked off, Blair hopping from her perch on the couch to follow.

"If you're going to walk off, then you better get your homework done this weekend!" She called over at him. Once the sound of his door closing was heard, she sighed and turned to Crona, "Sorry about them, they can be a little bit of a handful at times… do you want to?"

"W-What?" Crona Snapped back to reality.

"The star. Do you want to put it on? It is your first Christmas, I think it would be only right!" She smiled, handing him the star. Slightly unsure of himself, he took it from her hands and looked over at the tree. "Just put it on the top as the finishing touch!"

The swordsman nodded, wandering over to the tree and carefully perching the final decoration onto the top. He held it in place for a few seconds to make sure it was stable as he slowly removed his hands. "L-like that?" He asked.

"Yes! Look at it! I think we did a wonderful job decorating! Thanks for helping out!" Her voice stood out dramatically from Crona's melancholy tone. He gave her a shy nod, a smile crossing his face. He had a feeling this holiday wouldn't be as bad as he originally thought.

It was blurred. The nightmare again. It seemed to be set on repeat… The visuals flashed before his eyes, the audio clashing, sending a horrible ringing to his ears. Green… dark green… and blue, even darker blue, almost taking on the form of a purple-black… The colours swirled around him, taking forms every now and again… he knew this place all too well… Where did he know it from? Was it happening? He knew from the clarity of the scene in his mind that when he woke, the labor wouldn't be over. He was going to remember it this time, it was going to pierce his brain, shake his mind. He tried to fight it off, though the more he fought, the more he sealed his impending doom.

A slight pain… it wasn't much, he was used to pains like that. It buffeted against his head as he attempted to fight it off. He could hear his own whimpering voice, the words not yet audible. Small shapes began to form before once again blurring out of focus. This is how he remembered it. This dream. All of its clarity lost in the focal point, the epicenter, that one piece at the end of the nightmare that would rip him from his restless state. That one piece of the puzzle was always the clearest. Anxiety flooded over him, his breathing quickening in fear of what it was going to be. There were two more voices. He recognized them both. The first one to speak possessed a sly, sleek voice, echoing in the back of his head.

A second voice. He knew this voice. He knew it as the comforting, chipper voice of his best friend, the pigtailed meister who brought him out from the dark. _Maka?_ She spoke two words. Her voice was rimmed with fear and confusion as her shaped formed in front of him out of the blur. He spoke. He spoke more than what he could hear, but he finally found an anchor for some establishment. He moved closer… so close to her face, yet he refused to make eye contact. He took in her fragile scent as she eyed him with fear. _Do not be afraid of me, Maka! Please! _ His face started to turn hot with his subtle blush as he spoke out. The words fell almost forcefully from his lips.

"My blood is black…" He murmured out. The shape of the scythe wielder blurred away as she lurched backwards. A third voice spoke out, nearly inaudible. His voice was coarse and low. Crona hadn't seen him before, but now a black and red-bladed scythe held up in Maka's hands was clear to be seen. They spoke to each other. Crona watched, waiting for something more to happen. He began to find recollection in this memory somewhere… Suddenly he was snapped out of his zoned out state by another sharp hiss as the first voice appeared in his head. He knew that voice all too well, and it rattled him to the core, shaking his bones and causing his heart to skip a beat, his stomach lurching in his unconscious body. It was Medusa.

He felt himself speak back to her, the words still inaudible. Where was this from? He knew it so well, yet he had wished in the back of his head that he didn't know it at all. Where was he? What was he doing? He was suddenly snapped out of his restless thoughts as the visuals began to clear again. To his horror he lunged at the two, his sword vibrating menacingly in his hands, letting out an ear-splitting screech as it collided with Soul's blade. Maka kept the blade steady, but Crona didn't stop his attack. With another rattling scream from the sword, it began to sink into the metal of the weapon's heel, the seemingly impenetrable metal now spitting out thick, hot, red blood. He saw the look in her eyes as she kicked him away. The look of absolute terror.

Crona felt as if a rock had just been dropped onto his head. _Oh gods, no! Not this!_ He could feel his already rattled body begin to surge up with panic, he wished to cry, but his dream-self wouldn't break from its offensive state. Soul shouted something towards Maka as she backed up, Crona advancing on the two once more. The image was slowly becoming less and less blurry. He heard Maka shout something back to her weapon, her back finally touching the door before she thrusted herself into it, desperate to knock it back and escape, but it was too late.

Crona desperately prayed for the ability to close his eyes. He couldn't watch what was to happen next. "Pay attention to your surroundings…" The words tasted bitter as they rolled out of his mouth, the audio now completely clear. He opened his mouth once more, the blurriness in his sight disappearing. "Those doors open inwards."

He felt his arm raise his own weapon high into the air, preparing to finish her off.

"Maka! Guard!" Soul shouted desperately, his harsh voice ringing out.

"I can't! If I do that, then—" She was cut short, her trembling voice echoing out in Crona's head as he let the sword fall.

He blinked. Just once. When the black had gone from his vision, the epicenter hit him like a train. Hot, scarlet blood flew from an enormous gash delivered to the person in front of him. It erupted from his victim, flying towards his face and falling to the ground. Soul stood in front of him, his arms stretched out in protection. He stared at the ground, pain riddled on his face. Crona felt sick to the stomach. He felt like he was going to retch and then…

Her eyes. Her eyes were staring. They were staring right at him. They were not staring in comfort or concern like they usually would be. They were not staring with anger or defense like he'd expected them to… No, it was even worse. It was fear. She feared him from the bottom of her heart. His eyes locked with hers. It seemed like an eternity that they stared, morbid terror and disbelief plastered on his face as he remained in his same, ignorant, poker-faced condition. He broke.

He burst forwards off of his mattress, letting out a silent scream. His hands were planted firmly on his sheets as they thrust him violently upward, one of them hanging just slightly too far off the side. It slipped and he toppled ungracefully from his bed, dragging his heavily disturbed blankets with him and slamming his head onto his bedside table on his way down, his hands instantly finding their way up to the crown of his head and driving his fingers into it out of his pain. He sat on the ground catching his breath, his feet tied up in the bundles of cloth, and his cheeks already soaked from the water falling down from his eyes. He gripped his head harder, attempting to drive it all out of his head, but it just kept on coming back to him, rapidly flowing in and out of his stormy mind.

_I'm a monster… What have I done? Why was I forgiven for such a horrible thing? Monster, idiot… why did I do that? Why would I do that? Why can't I erase it… block it out, silence… monster… help… I did this, there's no changing that fact… I'm terrible, I don't deserve this selflessness… I'm a monster… but Maka… Does she care about me? I hurt her so badly, why would she care about a monster like me? She's scared of me! She hates me! No, she's the only one I have… I cannot lose her…_

He stopped, his hands still firmly gripping the pain spots on his head, welcoming the bitter cold of the room around him. His eyes followed the tiniest designs on the floor, attempting to distract himself from it. He felt so pathetic in doing so, but how could he help himself? He wept. He let the tears roll down his face in the utter silence, hoping that they would wash away the pain. Not the pain on his head, but the pain in his heart. He whimpered out silently as he drained out the last of his sorrows, the thoughts still coming back to him.

_Monster…_

Silence.

It was quite a long time before he finally wiped dry his eyes, picking himself off the ground and walking hurriedly out of his room and towards the bathroom. Locking the door behind him and turning on the light, he swung around and turned on the tap, waiting for the water to accumulate in a small puddle at the bottom of the sink. He cupped his hands, allowing them to fill up with the hot liquid before bringing his face forwards and splashing the water on himself. He looked up at the mirror, the water running in small streams off of his face. His hands firmly planted on the counter, he brought himself forwards to stare himself right in the eye. Form the other side of the glass, two dark, icy-blue eyes peered back at him, taking on a cold purple appearance. _Monster…_ What had he done? He needed to know. He needed her now. He needed to know that she was still there. He needed to know that she still cared about him. What if she didn't? He wouldn't blame her. It was all his fault. He was the monster, he was the one who hurt her.

He turned off the tap, turning around to wipe the remainder of the water off of his face. He spun around to look himself in the eyes one more time, watching as his newly dried face was marred by a single tear, cutting it's way down his cheek. He sniffled in, rubbing his nose and slowly walking back towards his room. As soon as the light from the bathroom was off, he noticed something that he hadn't before. A small beam of orange light peaked its way from under the door barricading Maka's room. Was she still awake? He needed her… he needed to know…

A tiny, gentle knock brought Maka's eyes off of her book, moving her gaze curiously towards the door. She watched as the doorknob turned, a small crack showing just the slightest bit of a face.

"M-Maka?" She heard Crona's tiny whisper sound from the crack, "A-are you still a-awake?"

"Crona?" She whispered back, placing her bookmark in between the two pages she was reading off of and setting it beside her lamp. "I thought you went to bed hours ago!" The door opened wider, now revealing Crona's full form, nearly silhouetted in the doorway. His cheeks and nose were red, his eyes swollen. "Crona?" She straightened up, bringing her legs around to hang off the side of the bed, the blankets barley covering her as she stared out at her friend in concern. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed you…" Crona started to retreat, embarrassed and regretting his decision.

"No, it's alright. What's wrong?"

"I-I—" Crona couldn't force the words out of his mouth, his natural stutter worsened by the lump now forming in his throat.

"Come here, it's alright." She attempted to look him in the eyes, but he resisted eye contact. However, she soon found him slowly wandering across her room to sit down beside her. His cheeks were flushed pure red, she could tell he was trying with all his might not to cry in front of her.

"I-I-I-I ha-had a n-n-nightmare… I-I-I-" He drew in a shaky breath, his eyes focused on the ground in his humiliation. Maka placed a hand on his back in comfort. "I-I-I wouldn't h-have bothered y-y-you if it hadn't-t…" He swallowed hard, wiping the small beads of water that were forming in the corners of his eyes.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," She whispered, her hand rubbing up and down his spine. Crona began to calm down, taking in her voice, her scent, her touch… it soothed him.

"I-It w-was terrible…" His voice was now less than a whisper. Maka leaned forwards, once again attempting to make eye contact. "I-I-I'm so s-sorry, Maka!" A small tear started to fall, but he quickly wiped it away, his eyes stinging. "I-it wasn't j-j-just a nightmare… I-it was a-a flash back, I-in a way… I-I had t-to relive it… I-I'm a m-m-monster…"

"No Crona, you're not a monster!" Maka pulled herself closer to him, feeling his hurting soul.

"I-I did s-s-something so terrible… t-to Soul… a-and to y-you! The d-day we first met… I d-d-did something u-unforgivable! I-I-I'm so sorry! I-I just saw i-it, and… I n-needed to know t-t-that you still c-cared about me…" The last words fell from his lips with pain. At that, Maka lifted up her other arm, wrapping it around his neck and pulling him closer. Crona felt pathetic, but at the same time, reassured. His heart was warm in his chest, giving off a burning sensation. He welcomed it.

"Crona, you are not a monster! You didn't do it! It wasn't your fault! And Soul and I, we forgive you! You don't have to be scared any more, it's all the past now." She whispered her comforting words to him, causing him to blush.

"I-I'm so s-scared to go b-back asleep… I-I-I don't want t-to have to f-face my past a-again! I-I don't know h-how to deal with t-that!" He could feel his hands starting to go numb with his constant trembling.

"If it would help," Maka spoke to break the long silence, "You could stay here. I wouldn't mind."

Crona's stomach did a front-flip. Was that alright? He would like to stay with her more than anything, to be with her forever, alone… But was she really inviting him to do so? He shook, his mind conflicted with the many choices present to him. Eventually, he let out a shy nod, just enough for her to feel and receive his message.

She invited him to lay down, Crona's face flushed red. How humiliating… He didn't mind though. As long as he was with her, that was enough for him. She laid down next to him, turning off the light. Silence. He could hear her slow and stead breathing beside him, he could smell her sweet tender scent and could feel her heat, even from his position. Her presence was calming. She still cared for him. Even though he had done so many bad things to her, she still cared about him.

Her back was facing him, and her hair sat wildly on her pillow, now free of her pigtails. When he was sure she was fast asleep, he brought himself closer to her, pulling one arm over top of her. She didn't stir. He looked down at her as she peacefully slept, the tiniest of smiles on her face. She helped him after he hurt her… but now, she was his Maka. He would protect him with his life. Nothing would ever take her away from him, and that was his promise. She deserved so much more that she got. Even though what he could give her isn't near what she deserved, he would give her his heart and soul, he would give her his life. This was the promise that he made.

The room fell into a peaceful silence.


	2. Chapter 2: Hollow

Chapter 2: Hollow

The morning seemed to trudge by incredibly slowly, as if it was being dragged through the snow, catching on every tiny impurity that stood in the way. Though, in a way, Crona couldn't quite call it a full "Morning," considering that he hadn't pulled himself out of bed until around 11:00. He wanted to savor the sleep that he'd been so uncommonly blessed with, and to his fortune, both him and Maka were awake before Soul. It had popped into his head as he lay in Maka's bed. What would Soul think if he caught Crona exiting her room in the morning? It would be horribly embarrassing to have to explain what had happened. He wasn't sure if he would be more humiliated by the scythe's assumption, or the actual scenario that had played out the previous night.

His mind was barley concentrated on the letters that lay out on the book in front of him. He was once again off in his own world, thinking, zoned out from everything else. His eyes simply trailed along the lines of words on the page, barley taking in anything they said. He was often caught guilty for this action, and had to go back and re-read the last few pages. The room around him was quiet, the only few sounds to be heard were the flipping of pages every few minuets from himself and the pigtailed meister sitting on the couch perpendicular to his own. Reading was one of his favorite pass-times, another hobby he inherited from his best friend.

He lifted his eyes off the page briefly to re-familiarize himself with his surroundings. Nothing had changed. The lighting was barley different from the rising sun and Maka had not even changed her position. She seemed completely focused on her book, as still as a statue. Her hair was collected in her familiar pig-tails, resting on her shoulders and framing her soft face. Her eyes were pointed down at the pages, her eyelids hiding them. He loved her eyes, they had such warmth and comfort. In her small, fragile hands she held a thick, hard-covered fantasy novel, only a couple more pages left until the end. She was dressed in her every-day outfit, a mini-skirt and a white dress-shirt covered by a pale-yellow sweater vest. He had admitted it to himself so many times over again, how beautiful she was. He couldn't help but admire her.

Sensing Crona's stare, she looked up, meeting his gaze with her own. Crona jumped slightly when her eyes met his, quickly turning back to his book. He hoped she hadn't seen him. Oh, what if she had seen him? Did she think he was staring at her? Oh, no, what would she think? He felt his face turn warm as a small blush covered his cheeks, desperately absorbing the words on the pages. He heard a small giggle come from Maka's direction. She had seen him… oh no! He turned when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Maka had placed her bookmark in between the pages she was reading and set her book down on the coffee table in front of them.

"Right, I better get ready before the rest of the group comes over," She muttered, straightening herself up and stretching off the few hours she had sat in the same spot. "We're going to have our Secret Santa today!"

"O-Oh yeah," Crona slipped his own book mark in to save his page before standing up to return his book to his room. "D-Do you need any help with a-anything?"

"Hmm?" She turned to him from the kitchen, "Oh, no I don't think so, not at the moment at least. Thanks, though!" She beamed at him. He smiled in return, a slight blush on his cheeks before he turned to wander down the hallway. He stopped, a thought triggered in his mind and he quickly turned around to face her.

"I-I'm sorry for bugging you l-l-last night," He stuttered out awkwardly. "I should've just g-gone back t-t-to bed…"

Maka turned to face him before smiling. "It's perfectly fine, everyone has nightmares! You don't need to apologize!"

"O-Okay," He didn't feel all that much reassured, "But d-don't tell anyone, o-okay?"

"Of course!" She giggled, "Your secret's safe with me!" Crona smiled back politely before wandering back to his room. Maka watched him go, concerned. She felt sorry for him. He had been shaken up very badly when he came to see her, and there didn't seem to be a lot she could do about it. She knew that the past cannot be changed, and it hurt her badly to know what Crona had to suffer through before she saved him. It hadn't occurred to her before now, how much he must have regretted everything, especially that one night that they first met. She didn't want him to feel so down, especially this close to the holidays, a time of joy and happiness. Perhaps once he gets himself more involved in the festivities, he would start feeling more in the holiday spirit.

She sighed in concern, turning back to begin her preparations. A thought popped into her mind. Would Crona act differently around Soul? Should she tell him? No, she promised Crona she wouldn't, but she was afraid of him getting anxious just by seeing Soul. Would it embarrass him? She was thinking to hard about this. He was going to be fine, it was only a nightmare… _Only a nightmare…_ She cringed at her own thoughts. It wasn't just a nightmare, that's what the big deal was about! She wanted to help him, but she had no idea how!

She took a deep breath, relaxing her senses and clearing her mind. _He is his own person, he's stronger than he appears. He will manage through somehow._ She filled the kettle with water, a small smile on her face. She was feeling a little bit reassured.

"Hey," A low, tired voice sounded off from the hallway, its unexpectedness causing her to jump slightly. She spun around to find her weapon partner wandering into the kitchen, his eyes still half closed.

"Well you sure slept in quite a bit!" She turned back to her work.

"I was tired." He grumbled back. "Anyways, what's for breakfast?"

"Breakfast? How about some lunch. It's past noon, you know!" You can make yourself something to eat, I have to get ready for the rest of the group to come over! And you better get brushed up and dressed too!"

The weapon frowned, slumped over with his elbow on the table, resting his head. "All right, fine." He picked himself up unceremoniously and trudged his way towards the fridge.

Maka went back to her work, her mind back and racing. A unbearable question eventually wormed its way into her mind. She nearly dropped everything to think, but forced herself into continuing on with her work, as to not raise suspicion. What if Soul didn't forgive Crona?

He sat comfortably on his bed, his back rested against the wall and a pillow tucked tightly against his chest. Unlike his usual positioning, his head tucked low and his entire body tight, his head was lifted up, staring out the window into the bright, snowy city. His limbs rested loosely where he sat, his eyes unmoving and his mind suspended in deep thought. It was silent once again. He loved to sit and think in the silence; it brought a certain peace to his mind. However, his inventive fantasies didn't last long before the small, black-blooded demon worked his way from Crona's back, sleepily.

"Ug! Finally you're away from that cow! I can speak again!" He reached his tiny balled fists out in an exaggerated stretch of relief.

"Ragnarok, you could've come out," Crona mumbled back, "Why do you think you can't talk around her?"

"Because, she was reading! Do you know what she gets like when people disturb her reading? She has a book right in her hands! She can easily just slam it down onto my _poor, fragile head_! For every time you interrupt her reading, she'll deliver you ten Maka-Chops to the face! Don't shit me, those things _hurt!_"

"Oh," He mumbled.

"Oh, and by the way, what the hell was up with that little stunt you pulled last night!?" He hit his tiny fist against the back of the swordsman's head.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I h-h-had a nightmare, I d-d-didn't mean to wake you u-up!" He stuttered out.

"Pffft!" Ragnarok reared back slightly "I mean sure, you pissed me off when you woke me up in the middle of the night, and, you know, I'm not allowed to talk because apparently my voice is to 'abrupt' and 'loud'!" He delivered another sharp bat with his fist before continuing, "No, I mean what you did with the scythe meister!" He let out a discomforting cackle.

"I know I was acting childish… you don't h-have to rub it in…" Crona frowned, turning away from the window.

"Ha, acting childish! Please, you came closer to becoming a man last night than you ever will! At least now I have some pretty damn good blackmail!"

"What? Blackmail?" Crona looked up at the demon, confused.

"Yeah! How do you think Soul would react if I told him you slept with his meister?"

"W-What!? Don't tell him that! And don't say it like that either!" the meister felt his face turn hot with embarrassment. He never meant for it to be anything like that!

"Pffft! And you're going to stop me?" Ragnarok howled.

"I'll t-tell Maka you're blackmailing me!" Crona spun around to face his cruel partner, "A-and when she hears that y-you're bullying me, y-you'll get m-m-much worse than Maka-chops!"

Suddenly Ragnarok lunged forwards, grabbing fistfuls of Crona's pale pink hair and pulled him towards his face in rage "What the hell was that!? Was that a threat!? You better goddamn hope that I didn't just hear a threat, otherwise you're dead!" He tugged away at Crona's hair abusively.

"Stop it! You're hurting the sides of my head! And I only threatened you because you threatened me! I-It was a defense, not an attack!" Crona flung his arms up, grabbing Ragnarok's shockingly small body in an attempt to pry him off.

"Dammit Crona! You are absolutely insufferable!" Ragnarok swung one of his fists out and whacked Crona once more, locking the two in an awkward tussle.

Eventually, Ragnarok shoved Crona's hand off of him, giving one more lunge, locking himself around the young meister's neck. Crona struggled against the demon's shocking amount of strength before he reached up both of his hands and gave Ragnarok one firm push. From a different perspective it would've appeared as a sharp smack, but nonetheless, his neck was freed from the death-grip of his devious weapon partner.

"You know sometimes, I just really hate you!" Ragnarok snarled before disappearing once more into Crona's bloodstream. Leave it to Ragnarok to ruin a perfectly good train of thought. Crona sighed, tucking himself in closer to his pillow, not wanting to look back out the window at the brightness outside. It hurt his eyes. Unlike before, now it just seemed cold.

There was someone at the front door. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… eight knocks. Each one with a perfectly timed silence in between them. It didn't take a genius to tell who had just arrived. Crona remained still in his room, listening to the sounds from the main room down the hallway. The door squeaked slightly on its hinges, and Maka spoke out, her voice muffled by the distance.

"Hello! Kid! Liz, Patty! Come on in!" The door closed and footsteps could be heard as the three entered the living room.

"Thank you so much for having us over here," Liz spoke.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have this at my place, but we just have so much more to decorate!" It was Kid who spoke this time.

"Yes, someone, not pointing fingers, but someone took down a fair bit of decorations just to hang then back up, but exactly 'Symmetrical'." Liz sighed and Patty let out a throaty giggle.

"You knew that streamer was 0.5 inches off center and you didn't do anything about it!" Kid accused.

Another voice, this time coming from the hallway was heard, slowly getting more distant. "Hey," Soul spoke out to them.

"Hello, Soul," Kid greeted his friend.

"Say, everyone, make yourselves comfortable, I made some snacks and drinks!" Maka chimed.

"Okay!" Patty half-shouted.

"Say, have you guys ever considered redecorating this place?" Kid asked.

"No," Soul grumbled, "Why?"

"Well It is nice and all but I couldn't help but notice that it's quite the opposite of symmetry and—"

"Nothing, its fine, just pretend it's symmetrical," Liz cut him off as Patty let out another throaty giggle.

Crona stood up. He felt now would be a proficient time to go out and greet his friends once again. In all truthfulness, he was quite glad it was Kid, Liz, and Patty who arrived first. Though still a little rowdy, they were much easier to deal with that Black*Star. He checked over himself subconsciously in an attempt to ensure he was presentable before he turned his door knob and exited the room. What would he say when he entered the room? He didn't know. Great, just what he was best at: being awkward. He lifted one arm up to grip his other tightly, unsure where to put his arms in the first place.

"H-hello," He stammered as he entered the room, pushing a smile onto his face.

"Hello, Crona," Kid turned to him, "Merry Christmas!" Crona smiled and wandered over to sit down on the couch. Would there be enough room for everyone? He hoped.

"Here, everyone, I made some cookies and hot chocolate," She said, placing down a small tray on the coffee table and turning around to bring some mugs to her friends.

"Ha, ha! Now that's more like it!" Ragnarok popped out of Crona's back and perched himself up on the swordsman's head.

"Limit of three." Maka threw in as she set a few steaming mugs down in front of the three guests. Crona felt his partner slouch down at the news, bodily laying over his hair. Once all the drinks had been passed around, Maka sat down in between Soul and Crona.

"Oh man, I can't wait for Christmas break," Liz smiled as she took a sip of her drink.

"Only one week left of school. I'm glad we already got Mr. Sid's test over with," Soul chuckled, "But that means we still have three more tests to go." He moaned slightly.

"Well, look at the bright side," The Shinigami spoke, "Once all the tests are over with, we can finally settle down and relax. The school party will be taking place not too long after. Then, we can finally just spend some time at home."

"Huh. The thing is that I'm actually going back _home_. That's going to suck. Unlike you, my family doesn't live in Death City."

"Why would that suck then? I suppose you'll only be gone for a few days." Liz muttered.

"No, it's nothing, I just don't really like having to take a train for 5 hours there and back."

That was a lie. Even Crona could tell.

"I can't wait to get lots of presents, though! Christmas is the best!" Patty exclaimed.

The chatter about the holidays seemed to go on and on. Crona almost never spoke, and in this situation, it was the same. Unless he was addressed, he would simply listen in. Ragnarok on the other hand was more than happy to pipe in with his rude remarks as he gobbled down his share of the cookies. Crona felt an air of tranquility. No matter what anyone could say, he always loved to be around his friends. Well, almost always.

"YAHOO!" The door flew open, violently slamming against the wall and causing all six of them to jump. "I am here to make my grand entrance, holiday-style! Find all your Christmas wishes come true when you simply gaze on me! The great assassin Black*Star!" at that he let out a very loud laugh that seemed to just go on and on.

"Goddammit, Black*Star you made me spill my drink on me!" Kid shouted out at him. "Look, now I have a blotch on my right leg, and none on my left, you have ruined the brilliant symmetry of my pants and now I am asymmetrical garbage all thanks to you, how dare you put me through this pain, you are absolutely insufferable! I'm asymmetrical trash! TRASH!" Kid threw his head back in his agony.

"Here we go again…" Liz sighed.

"Just spill again! They you're symmetrical!" Patty giggled.

"Nonsense! That spill of yours is one of a kind! Bestowed apon you by the one and only man who will surpass the gods! Me, BLACK*STAR!"

"I'm really sorry," Tsubaki put a hand on her meister's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down, a forced smile on her face.

"I'll go get some napkins," Maka muttered, "Have a seat you two." Soul was slowly attempting to hold back a stiffened giggle. As Black*Star walked past him, Soul held out his hand, and the two's palms collided in a high-five.

And the chatter started again, slowly getting into more conversations, the subject rapidly changing to fit any mood there was.

"Say," Kid eventually sounded up, "I have a request for you guys." The group looked up at him, their attentions caught. "Father asked me if I could prepare some of the planning and decorations for the Christmas party. I've got a fair bit of planning done already, but It would mean a lot to me if I could get a little bit of help."

"After all, if you leave all the decorating to him, he's going to obsess about it to the point of spending hours on one streamer," Liz pointed out. Black*Star chuckled.

Soul opened his mouth to decline, but Maka beat him to speaking, "We'd love to come and help out! The more we can help with, the better! That includes Soul!"

"H-Hey!" Soul looked at her.

"I'll show off my legendary skills and make this party the greatest party ever! Yahoo!" Black*Star shouted.

"I'd love to help out too!" Tsubaki smiled tenderly.

Crona nodded in agreement. He would come too, even if he didn't know how to deal with it. Some how he'd figure it out.

Soul let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, fine I'll come."

"Excellent! Thank you all so much!" Kid smiled.

"Right!" Maka clapped her hands together, "I say we should start!" She stood up and wandered over to the kitchen. She returned with a souvenir-style Death City base-ball cap as well as several sheets of paper and pens. "We'll draw names out of a hat, and then that person is the one we'll shop for! When do you think we should exchange the gifts?"

"I'm leaving for Japan on the 23rd," Tsubaki spoke, so it would have to be before then.

"And I'm leaving on the 22nd." Soul grumbled.

"So, does the 20th work then?" Maka cocked her head slightly.

"Works for us," Kid sighed.

"That sound perfect!" Tsubaki piped in, "We can exchange them at the Christmas party!"

"Yay!" Patty cheered.

"All right, then! The 20th it is! Now, everyone, write your name on a slip of paper, and put it in the hat. Then we'll pass the hat around and each pull out a slip. If you get your own name, just put it back." Maka explained cheerily as she passed out the small slips of paper and the pens.

Crona took his and attempted to write his name as neatly as he could. He wasn't the best when it came to writing legibly. After that, he followed Maka's lead by folding his paper in half and placing it into the hat. He felt a hint of satisfaction, taking part in these holiday events. Soon enough, the hat was being passed around, each person finding a name and looking at it, making sure that no one around them could read it. Soon it came to Crona's turn. Unsure exactly what to do, he carefully picked the sheet off of the top. He cupped his hand around it and unfolded it, reading the name printed on it.

What were the chances?

Of all the people here… he got that name. The name of the one person he knew he couldn't screw up with.

_Maka Albarn_

He felt panic begin to rise in his chest, but he did his best to swallow it down, to remain poker-faced. Hesitating slightly, he tucked the slip of paper into his robe's pocket and continued to listen in on the rest of the conversation.

He didn't know what to get her. It had to be perfect! It had to be the best present ever! She was past deserving of it, and he couldn't mess up! He didn't speak unless spoken to throughout the rest of the visit. Instead, he kept to his own thoughts, attempting to find some kind of epiphany before the day was done. He couldn't believe he was this clueless. In general, it made him feel hollow.

"So long, everyone!" Maka waved at her friends as they went.

"Thank you, Maka-Chan!" Tsubaki called back before she was joined by a chorus of the others, sending out their fair wells as they made their way down the hallway.

The get-together turned out quite well, if she said so herself. A smile still remained plastered on her face as she closed the door, leaning her back against it and letting out a long sigh. Her arms seemed to attempt to drag her to the floor in her exhaustion, though the preparations hadn't even taken that much time or effort. She stretched briefly before turning towards the visiting room, where Soul and Crona still sat. Soul picked himself up quickly and dove his hands into his jean pockets.

"Well, I have some work to do," He grumbled, picking up another cookie from the plate rested on the table, slowly making his way towards his room.

"Hey, hey! Can you not help clean up the dishes?" Maka attempted to wave him back to the main room.

"I just did," Soul waved his half-eaten cookie in the air before vanishing into his room. Maka gave a slight glare at the closed door before turning back to clean up. To her surprise, she found Crona already picking up some of the dishes and carrying them towards the kitchen.

"I-I wouldn't mind helping," He gave her a small grin.

"Oh, Thank you so much, Crona!" She beamed back at him, picking up a couple mugs, "So, how did you like today? You were a little bit quiet."

"Oh, I-I thought it was really f-fun. I didn't r-really know what to say, b-but it's nice to hang out around e-everyone again." There wasn't a shred of dishonesty in his voice. It warmed her heart to see him adjusting into the school life like this.

Crona, on the other hand, couldn't be happier that he had been surrounded by a group of great friends. Though Maka was truly the only one he was full comfortable around, he was slowly growing more accustomed to being around the others. He seemed to have warmed up to Soul, Kid, and Tsubaki the quickest, perhaps because they were a bit more inviting than the others, though he loved to be with all of them. Crona smiled slightly as he worked, clearing off the dishes and bringing them over to where Maka ran steaming water into the sink to wash them.

"So, do you have any ideas on what you're going to get your Secret Santa?" Maka turned to him. Crona felt his stomach do a summersault as the words slammed into his ear. Oh no. He didn't know what to get her! He had no idea at all! And he couldn't ask her, it was supposed to be a secret until they all opened their presents! Crona swallowed hard, thinking of some way to answer her, don't leave too long of a gap! Answer! Answer! Should he lie? Should he answer honestly?

"I-I don't k-know right now…" He mumbled, looking down at the dishes to avoid eye contact.

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll think of something! In all truthfulness, I don't really know what to get my Secret Santa either." She smiled. Crona felt a little bit more reassured, though not by very much. "If you're ever stuck, you could ask one of their friends what they like!"

"Oh, o-okay," Crona murmured back. A long silence covered the room. "S-Say," Crona stuttered, "W-Why are Soul and T-Tsubaki leaving?"

"Hmm?" Maka turned to look at him, "Oh, they're spending the holidays with their families! Tsubaki's family live in Japan, and Soul's family lives out of the state. They'll be visiting there over Christmas."

"W-What about the others?"

"Oh, well Kid obviously has to stay in Death City, Black*Star will probably celebrate Christmas with his friends, and I'm honestly not to sure about Liz and Patty's family. My papa lives in Death City, but I doubt I'll be spending any time with him." Her smile remained on her face for a few more seconds before disappearing. She ceased her work, putting down her cloth and the dish she was busy washing. Crona looked over at her, concerned.

"W-What's wrong, Maka?" He dipped his head down to look at her face. Had he struck a chord? Oh please, he hadn't upset her, had he?

"It's nothing, I was just thinking, no, forget it. It's all right." She let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, thanks though." She looked back up at him, a forced smile on her face. Crona wasn't convinced. He knew he had hit something. He knew he had somehow pinched a nerve. What did he do? He hated to see her so upset. _Please Maka, don't be upset. Smile for me, please?_

The room was quiet. The room was completely hollow.

It was about 6 months before. Soul had been out for the night with Kid and Black*Star, and Crona had concealed himself in his room. He was blocking out the sounds of the house, attempting to stay locked in his thoughts, to keep the engine running on his train of thought. He remembered it so vividly. He was thinking about his lesson, about how Stein had shown them how to adjust their wavelengths to match each other's. Though Maka had very little control over it at the time, she was fully aware of her ability to transform into a weapon. Crona had been pondering the idea of being her meister, perhaps for a while. In all honesty, he just wished for an excuse to be with her more. He loved to feel her wavelength, to speak with her, to be near her. It made him happy to see her smile. He had a chance that night, a chance to be with her without Soul interrupting, though he was much to shy to go up to her. He couldn't just ask her to spend time with him. It was a preposterous idea. He didn't know how to deal with it. Though he would soon find out he had no choice.

He heard it. A small sound coming from the room across the hall from his. He broke away from his train of though to listen, to make sure what he heard wasn't what he though he heard. Thus, nothing went his way. He knew exactly what he heard. Moans of agony followed by violent inhales, muffled in an attempt to hide them. Was Maka…crying? Was she okay? Oh, please let her be okay, he couldn't stand to see her cry! He couldn't stand the sound. His sunshine was slowly burning out that night. Eventually, too worried to remain still any longer, he picked himself up and walked over to her door.

She was crying. He could tell. Had she hurt herself? Had someone hurt her? Oh please, don't let it be! He knocked gently on the door, calling out for her in a shaky voice. "Maka? I-Is everything all right?" The crying slowly stopped. It was a long time before he heard an answer.

"I-I'm fine," Her voice seemed to buckle in her throat.

"C-Can I come in?" He slowly turned the door-knob, peaking in to find her. "I-Is everything okay? W-What's wrong?"

"Everything's fine!" She sniffed, "Go away!" Crona jumped at her aggression.

"B-but Maka, I- I want to h-help you!" He felt himself already starting to get choked up. He swallowed the lump in his throat and wandered in to stand in front of her bed where she sat, curled up and looking away to hide her face. "P-Please don't be sad." She turned around to look at him, her eyes filled with tears and her nose red as she took another sniffling inhale. Her bottom lip was wobbling and her hands held something close to her chest. Crona couldn't bare to see her like this. Her eyes were clouded by hurt, a conflict awake in them. Should she ask for help, or push Crona away?

"I'm sorry," her voice was no more than a whisper, "I don't want you to see me like this, I shouldn't have worried you…"

"It's o-okay, Maka," Crona reached out his hand and rubbed her arm in comfort. "I-I want to be h-h-here for you!" He sat down next to her, his trembling hand wrapping around her shoulder and pulling her head to rest on his chest. She had comforted him before, made him feel safe and loved when he was upset, and now he wanted to do the same for her.

Maka suddenly took in a large, violent inhale before diving into him, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him as close to her as possible. He felt his heart twist up in a knot. Whatever hurt her had really hurt her. He blinked his eyes over and over to stop himself from tearing up at her state. The back of his robe was pulled into bunches as she gripped onto it tightly, her body convulsing and trembling as she sobbed. Crona looked down to what she had left on the bed, what she was holding tightly to her chest.

There lay a small bundle of postcards. They appeared to have come from all over the world. _Those must be the ones her mother sent her…_

"S-She's gone…" Maka's voice trembled, "I was so blind… I'm never going to see her again!" she hiccupped and pushed herself further into his arms. "She's dead!"

Crona jumped, staring down at the pigtailed meister before tightening his embrace around her. "I-I-I-" he teared up. Her agony was his as well. He couldn't stand to see her so hurt. "I-I'm so s-sorry," He rested his cheek on the top of her head, repeating himself, this time in little more than a whisper. "I'm so sorry, Maka. Y-You don't deserve any of this. I'm so, so sorry! I-It's all going to be all right, i-it's all right…"

It was one of the most painful moments of his life. Though many others would point to his childhood, to see Maka hurting like this brought about a whole new kind of pain. He had never met Maka's mother, though he knew how much she meant to her. Now, she was gone forever. For hours they sat together, crying together, comforting each other, held tight. Though Crona couldn't help it. The entire time, he simply felt so hollow.

News quickly spread, the next few days filled with mourning and comfort, all of Maka's friends and family surrounding her in an attempt to make her feel better, though slowly, it took it's toll on her. It burned Crona to the core. Maka deserved so much more than this, yet it seemed like agony was just being pushed right into her. Her mother had been traveling when discovered to be a grigori soul by members of Arachnophobia while working on building many of the relay points. Spirit was the first one to catch wind of her death, though didn't tell Maka until much longer after. He needed her to be safe during the situation, needed to make sure she still believed her mother was alive.

After a while, with things continually taking a turn for the worst, Spirit needed Maka to look up more, to be brave. He sent her a postcard. He knew she wouldn't accept it if she knew it was from him, so he pretended it was from her mother. Written in Persian was the word Bravery.

In the end, it was that one word that defeated the Kishin.

That's what it was. That's what had stirred up inside of her. Though this was Crona's first Christmas with Maka, it was Maka's first Christmas without her mother. Empathy for the poor young girl rang in his mind for many moments as he forced himself to block it out. He wanted to tell her it was all going to be okay, but he couldn't remind her of her loss. He couldn't remind her of that day.

Something died in her that night. Something very precious to both of them vanished without a trace. She wasn't herself anymore. With a mind clouded with misfortune, a heart rattled with trauma, the little one continues on it's never ending, never ceasing dash to find it's way to safety when truly it will find that there is no safety. There is no such thing as caring arms, for they will never hold you for life. There is no such thing as a future without fear, for madness will always pierce the heart of the little one.

_The jaws it bares, the claws that tear will be squandered in its besmirching façade as the sword the enemy bears will tear and bite in it's own lust for supremacy. The soul of the little one has already faded, already gone from it's trembling shell, the deceivement of the ones who give everything is not in their eyes, for the ones who give their everything to the earth and it's peoples, the ones who never walk past a beggar are the ones filled with courage and might, will to peruse a future of fear and destruction without care, yet now in this little one's eyes the mettle has fled, the eyes are dead, the world has turned bitter cold._

_The blood stains the marble a crimson apon fairy blue. Step by step one bears the chains they welded link by link in their own fear and hauls them up the never ending staircase in some attempt to make it to the stars, for the road to heaven is one of pain and anguish, where strength is your ally, and allies are your strength. With every step a new link is added as innocence is slowly lost, and with each sin a weight to match is burdened apon one's back and if one does not keep on fighting to wander up the road to the stars they will let themselves fall and fall they will. Down, down, further and further. This is the fate of the little one._

_A lonely stranger with no place to call home bears the chains of a million men, though the chains were forged by himself, it was the sinners around him that tied him up. His bulk acquaints to a million tones, as the road below him creaks and croaks threatening to break below his step as he marches forwards, wishing he could somehow shake the chains from his back and toss them down. If the road breaks below his weight, he will tumble down into his own cast shadow. Thus on the steps of linking chains, he savors every last breath as if they would be his last. He waits for the deadly night to fall apon him, the fear that he would know._

_The little one has only taken, never given back. It's fear rattles it step by step up towards heaven, struggling through every last twist and turn of life, the gods shunning him, the honest pointing fingers at him, and the passerby's looking away in shame as he continues at a slow pace, the world swirling and darting, no more dreams to brew fear of the pumpkin carriages, no more to give, no more to take. And as he walks up the staircase with a mighty thud, those around him look down on him, peeling off a few links of chain and hanging them on him as an insult._

_All of the witches saw it in the little one's eyes. He was only motivated by one thing. Fear._

_That is what I saw in its eyes. The one who looked up at me in confusion and guidance, the little one who was too ignorant to see what was to happen next, no, too unaware of the fate that everyone had chosen for it. It stood unaware of the weapon lined up with its eyes. It was something that only gave, yet now, it was hollow. What I saw in its eyes was the reflection. The little one was never my victims. The fear I saw in that creature's eyes was reflected from my own eyes. When one reminded me of the little one, it reminded me of that fear. It reminded me of myself._

_I bear the chains of a million men. Though forged myself, it is the sinners around me who tie me up. I wish I had never been birthed into such a world as this. Maybe this day I have found something to grasp on to. Something to drive me, something besides fear. _

_Motivation has only two main drives. One of it is the terror that seeps through the walls of one's heart as they long to never end up like that one lonely stranger, carrying a million tones up the staircase. The second drive comes from the courage from a blinding source, one that can make or break anything, though it is yet to be discovered. If I am ever separated from it, I may only find it in my dreams, and even my nightmares._

_Fairy blue, it is only for you that I would smash the stars and hang up a Black Paper Moon. If you truly do believe in me, then when you're lost, here I am. I'll be forever with your soul, waiting above you, shining just like the moon. A symbol rises to the surface of the crimson deepness that I had submerged it deep down and within. Your destiny isn't so immutable, for anything you can dream, can also be your bestowed fate. _

_Do not try to use deceit on me, for I will not break, and I won't surrender. Fairy blue, you are my everything, my reason to go on in this captivity, eternally. If you raise your voice and call to me, then I will find you, my dear, wherever you may be. I promise that I will set you free from this ensnaring curse. There are times I know that no one believes in me, and there are times when I feel so degraded. Yet even in those times, your words echo in my heart. Now, here is my promise: It is only for you that I would destroy the stars and use them as a sign to guide you, and if you ever feel lost or afraid or you cannot see your dreams, I want you to look up. _

_You are my everything. You are the reason that I live in this captivity so faithfully. I swear that you will never be alone. When you are lost, here I am, forever with your soul. We can make it through anything at all, if we only believe. _

He put down his pencil, staring down at his work. He had been rambling into the paper, and he had known it. Going from his miseries to hers, yet he seemed to have hit his own heartstrings with the last little bit. What was it? He knew what the one thing was, the one last drive for motivation. He needed to find it! It was hidden in the last few paragraphs… the ones that he wrote to her. She was his motivation to live on. Why was it? Was it because she was his first friend? No, it has to be more. She saved him from an entire lifetime of continually being granted the weights he had been tied to throughout his earliest years of life. What would have happened if he had been left? How heavy would his chain be in death?

He couldn't think of it. He stared at the paper for a little bit longer. He loved what he wrote to her. It lined up perfectly. He wanted to show it to her, to let her know it was okay, to show her the poem that he wrote to her. Perhaps she would be able to fill in the blanks, to tell him what he was missing. He pondered and puzzled for many minuets before he let out an exasperated sigh, taking the few pieces of paper in his hands and staring them over. It was nothing. It couldn't really be anything. It was an idiotic concept. He crumpled them up and tossed them in his waste basket. The poem was nothing, the emotions were nothing. Much like the little one, it was nothing but hollow.

"To the left, now! Carefully! Be sure that it is exactly centered before you pin it down!" Kid's voice echoed in the empty hall. "Now, now! Use the yard stick!"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm using it!" Soul shouted down form a rickety ladder, perched on his toes to place up a small bundle of Christmas lights.

"Ah! Everything here is going to be exact and perfect!" Kid smiled. Crona was quite glad he wasn't the one hanging up the lights. He would much rather continue with carrying his boxes too and fro. It appealed to him much more greatly than pinning down lights from a 10-meter high set of metal stilts. Oh, how he hated ladders.

"A-are these the right ones?" Crona held out the box for Kid to observe. He looked over at it before nodding.

"Yes! Now, do you think you could bring them over to Soul for when he comes down?"

Crona nodded, turning around to the ladder. It appeared to sway from side to side with every tiny movement the weapon made. Any second, Crona swore the whole thing would tip over and fall.

The party hall was quite large, to decorate all of it would take a very protracted amount of time. The floor was an extreme expanse of smooth, crystal marble and the walls appeared white at the base, though slowly converting into a gradual shade of red. Crimson pillars struck through the wall every few meters, and banners to match hung from each, wound up with green Christmas lights. In the back of the room, Maka and Tsubaki were hard at work priming and preparing a huge wreath that would act as the centerpiece to the hall. Getting it up to near the roof would require heavy duty equipment, ropes and pulleys and everything of the sort. This was after all an enormous party. A Christmas tree stood at the back of the stage, already decorated with many ornaments of varying shapes, yet all the same brilliant crimson shade. The ornaments were placed delicately on the tree, a matching one on the opposite side to ensure for "exact and precise symmetry". It had been the largest job of the day, and Crona was quite glad it was over. Climbing all the way up a ladder to hang one or two ornaments was more hell than he had wanted to be through any time, the ladder swaying back and forth, and he knew the others could tell that every time the ladder would move in the slightest, oh how he would panic. It was humiliating, but he still had the excuse that he had never been on a ladder before, not to mention one reaching 8 meters in the air!

The tree was so tall that if it had one branch more at the top, the star would surely scrape the roof. On the other side of the room, Black*Star grew impatient with his hanging of streamers. Crona hoped Kid would over look it, and he was truthful glad he was paying attention to Soul instead. Black*Star had utterly refused to use his yard stick and was now only approximating where each streamer would go. Never had Crona seen him move the ladder. He had never come down, and never shifted his position. He was somehow so quick or stealthy that he was able to completely move positions without anyone collecting the slightest remembrance of the event.

At a table set up near the back of the room held a gathering of ornamented wrapping paper and bags, bows and ribbons and tags. Shopping bags filled with gifts for the Shibusen staff lay beside it as Liz and Patty were hard at work wrapping them all up. They would go under the Christmas tree as an act of gratitude towards the hard work they all did. The large clock in the corner of the room had its hour hand placed over top of the 5. They had been hard at work for many hours, and that night, Soul and Maka still had much more work to complete. They had taken up a mission to collect the soul of an afreet found not a 1 hour drive from Death City. He felt sorry for them both, but he knew it would be best for him to remain at home.

"Ya-HOO!" Black*Star boomed as he flew down from the ladder, landing unfazed in front of Kid. "There! I've hung up your streamers! What now?" He crossed his arms.

"Well next, you, Soul, Crona and I are going to get the ropes prepared to string up the wreath." Kid muttered to him. Crona jumped when he heard his name. He wouldn't have to go back up on ladders, would he?

"Pshh! We won't need any of that! I am the Mighty Black*Star! I will use my godly strength to hoist it up myself-!"

"Not quite." Kid held out his hand in disagreement.

"Huh? Are you doubting my strength?" Black*Star eyed him down.

"No. I simply doubt your ability to hand it symmetrically when it is truly so large. Not even I could do so, witch is why I have to take the precautions to ensure that it is hung exactly and perfectly!"

Black*Star sighed before a smirk of disbelief crossed his face. Soul, having just finished rigging up the lights wandered over to the three, his hands back in his pockets as he approached. "Hey now, what are we doing next?" He asked.

"We're setting up the ropes to hang up the wreath." Kid smiled in pride as Soul looked over at the decoration.

"I still don't see why we need something so big!" He crossed his arms, "Four people hanging something that bulky, that's not cool!"

"Because! Everything for this party must be-"

"Exact and Perfect!" Soul and Black*Star moaned in synch.

"We know! Fine, let's just get the thing hung up." Soul stalked off towards the side of the stage where a door to the backroom stood half-covered. Black*Star let out a chuckle as he followed, Kid glaring them down, frustration on his face. In times like this, Crona found it was best to simply remain quiet and follow the other's lead. He followed the three of them towards the back room where the supplies were stored.

He had been walking in and out of the room all day, he could have sworn he saw the ropes and pulleys they needed somewhere, though he couldn't quite recall where. The four made their way in. Though the room was large, it still felt cramped due to the overwhelming amount of articles scattered about.

"Oh boy, look what they have back here!" Black*Star shouted suddenly, running through the piles of boxes.

"Black*Star! This isn't a playground! Get back here and help us find the rope!" Kid shouted at him as he flicked on an old treadmill.

"Why do you not have these in the gym room!" He hopped onto it, starting to run. Honest to gods, Black*Star was like a child. He was so easily distracted in his attempts to surpass god. "Ya-HOO!" He shouted, throwing his arms up to attempt to run hand-less. His hands brushed the article above him, and he jumped in his surprise, not expecting the dangling ropes, only to find his arms caught when he attempted to bring them back down. The three at the other end of the room stared at him blankly as he flung his arms around in an attempt to free himself. The scene was truly quite comical, too much so that with one swing of his foot, his shoe popped off, landing on the treadmill and before he knew it, was shot across the room, slamming into a nearby table and knocking it over. He eventually shook himself free from the bundles of ropes and turned off the treadmill, putting a dumb smile of pride on his face.

Soul sighed. "Sorry about him."

"That's all right, it would appear he found our rope." Kid sighed.

"See, I totally meant to do that!" Black*Star shouted to them.

"Sure." Kid laughed. "Now, let's get that wreath hung up."

Crona sat unmoving on the couch, his eyes plastered on the words of his book, hardly taking any of them in.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Maka had asked him earlier that evening. "It would be nice for you to come out and battle again."

"I-I'm sorry," Crona had stuttered back, "I don't know if I can go back into fighting again. I'll go again next time." What he said wasn't entirely false. He was still uneasy about going back out on missions after his last battle. Though it had been moths ago, it still scarred his memory, and he was sure it had scarred Maka's as well. Attempting to defeat his own mother was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, both emotionally and physically. He had nearly lost his life that night defending the one he loved, but was able to hang on for a few more minuets before he could be treated.

The smaller reason of him not going was that it would provide him with the perfect opportunity to buy Maka a Christmas gift for the Secret Santa. He had noticed how she was almost done the book she was reading, and decided to go out and buy her the next book in the series. He even took some of the left over wrapping paper from earlier that night to wrap it up in. He had observed what Liz and Patty had done to wrap the gifts, and attempted to mimic them as best he could. He hid the gift in his room to make sure it stayed a surprise.

He lifted his eyes off his own novel and stared over at the stove clock. 12:43. They said they would be home before 11. Had something happened? No. Maybe they were delayed in finding him, or defeating him took longer than usual. Maybe he was a stronger opponent. _A stronger opponent. _Crona took a deep breath. Everything was fine, he knew it. He turned back to his book and continued reading, though it didn't take long for the sound of the door creaking on its hinges to announce the arrival of the two. Crona felt a wave of relief go over his body as he turned towards the door.

"W-Welcome back," He pushed a smile onto his face, though it quickly fell. Soul entered, his eyelids heavy as he stared at the ground in exhaustion. He looked more worn down than Crona had ever seen him. "W-What's wrong?" He tilted his head. His heart suddenly ached in his chest as he noticed an absence. "Where's M-Maka?"

Soul stared up at him with pained eyes. It took a long time for him to speak. "Maka has been hurt…" Crona's heart leaped out of his chest. _What? What happened to her? _"She is in the hospital wing… it's pretty serious… they—don't know if she'll make it."

Crona's eyes stretched wide, horror flooding his body, causing him to shiver and shake. _No! That cannot be!_

Soul didn't even have time to open his mouth again before the swordsman suddenly launched himself off the couch, pushing past the scythe as he rocketed out the door. "Wait, Crona!" Soul shouted after him, but he was already making his way down the hallway of the apartment building. He felt sick to the stomach. He had to see her! He had to make sure she was all right! This couldn't be happening! No, why had he been so stupid!? If he had joined them, this wouldn't have happened! He had failed to protect her! No! Why!? His feet seemed to fly over the ground, each one landing unceremoniously, but picking back up not long after. He sprinted down the stairs, nearly falling several times, his breath now speeding up intensely. He pushed through the front doors and right into the bitter cold of the night, the icy cold wind carrying the snow like shards of glass right into his skin. It was only when his bare feet met with the snow-covered ground had he realized he had not even stopped to put on a jacket or shoes.

There was not time for that! He needed to get to the Shibusen! He needed to see her! He need to know that she was going to be all right! He needed to save her! Oh Gods, no! What had he done!? Why was he so ignorant!? Why!?

"Oi, Crona!" Ragnarok Shrieked as he tore from his back, "What the hell are you doing out here in the cold? You're going to catch your death out here! Where is your jacket and shoes, dumbass!?" Crona ignored him, his thoughts too pre-occupied with the abundance of stress now pushing down on his shoulders. He turned down the street, his feet now burning with the cold. One wrong foot placement landed him flat on the ice below him, his hands scraped from the stones below, and his chin now searing with pain, but he pushed himself back up, his adrenaline in his black blood pushing him far beyond his limits.

By the time he reached the entrance of the Shibusen, he could no longer feel up to his ankles. His breath was so incredibly heavy that it seemed to pull him through the ground. His feet weighed a million pounds each and his arms swayed ungracefully. With every step he took, he felt like he was stepping on ice cold nails, though at the same time, felt like nothing at all. He made one last mad dash towards the door and yanked on it violently. It didn't budge.

Panic reaching it's limits inside of him, he slammed his frozen fist against the door as hard as he could, each time it felt like he was slamming a bare nerve against sandpaper. He winced, though something within he kept telling him to knock on.

Soon enough, the door swung open, a tall man with pale-blue skin stood in the doorway. Crona pushed past him, once again preparing to dash through the hallways to make it to the hospital wing. He was halted when a large, firm hand was placed forcefully on his shoulder, halting him in his path.

"Whoa, Crona! What are you doing here so late?" Sid-Sensei spoke to him, "Where are your boots and your coat? You look freezing!"

"Where is Maka?" Crona shouted back, his throat dry with both panic and fatigue. His heart was pounding in his forehead, his blood screaming at him to keep on running, to find her and make her safe.

"Is that what this is all about?" Sid put a hand on his forehead, "You're not supposed to be here! I just sent Soul home, her operation is going to take hours! You cannot see her now! Go back home, we'll take care of her."

Crona wasn't going to stop. _He_ had to know. _He_ had to make sure. "I can wait! I just need to see her!" He bit his lip to stop himself from whimpering. Sid stared at him for a long time, noticing his pain.

"In life, I was a very sentimental man, and I am no different now. All right, I will allow you to stay, but only if it is all right with Professor Stein."

Crona took a deep, shaky inhale as he stared back at the teacher, "T-Thank you, S-Sensei!"

"Follow me," Sid led Crona down the corridors. They were barren and cold, feelings of emptiness swirled within them, hitting Crona's mind sharply. What a horrible feeling... his heart felt like it was slowly being torn in half. His one hand dug deeply into his opposite arm, his grip so painfully firm that he was sure he was bleeding. The walk seemed to last forever, the endless lines of lockers and unlit candles mocking him from afar as he followed directly behind the zombie. His entire body trembled, anxiety and fear washing over him. Was she all right!? He couldn't wait any longer, he longed to take off running again, to find her laying in the hospital bed, telling him she was all right…

"Wait in this room. You can stay unless Stein denies you." Sid ordered, showing Crona to a small waiting room near the hospital ward. He was overflowing with negative emotions, his heart searing in pain as he wandered slowly into the room. He felt a lump forming in his dry throat, his eyes blinking over and over to stop him from tearing up as he sat himself down pathetically into one of the small seats. A clock ticked onwards over head. "Crona?" Sid looked in at him, but Crona didn't move a muscle. His eyes remained fixed on the floor below, his hair covering his eyes. "She's going to be all right. Nygus and Stein are both in there with her, they're going to take good care of her."

Crona didn't hear Sid leave, though slowly he realized that his presence had vanished. His eyes remained plastered on one spot on the floor, where he took in every last detail. He sat there for hours on end, the time waning on for an eternity, his mind racing, thinking of all the worst things. No… it was going to be all right… please let it be all right… The clock continued to tick on, it's sanity draining clicks echoing out as the only sound in the room. Crona couldn't even hear himself breath. Tick… Tock…

Silence.

It was Hollow.


	3. Chapter 3: Hope

Chapter 3: Hope

It had been nearly 5 hours. The sun was not yet shining, yet the morning air could be felt even from deep within the school's walls. His mind was blank. He had nothing left to think about. Nothing left to distract him from the inevitable. What was going to happen next? He hadn't a clue. He sat secluded in the silence of the room, the maddening clicking from the clock above his head was the only sound to be heard. He had exhausted all of his efforts of cheering himself up, nothing could be done now. He sat with an empty mind and an empty will. His heart seared in pain, his back beginning to weigh itself down. He wobbled in his chair in his attempt to sit still, his hands shaking and his feet sore.

A few voices could be heard from the hospital wing, getting louder and less muffled as they came closer to the door. Crona didn't move. Instead he stood completely still, listening to the newest presence of sound.

"He's in the waiting room," Sid muttered, "He looked a little bit shaken up."

"Right then," Professor Stein voiced up, "I'll tell him." Crona folded up at the words. Tell him what? The door swung open and the tall patch-worked meister turned to face him, his glasses reflecting the light around, hiding his eyes. "Crona?" He asked. Crona looked up at him, shaking slightly in anticipation and anxiety. "Maka's operation was a success. She will be fine, simply a day of bed-rest and taking it easy from here on in. At least until the New Year."

Crona let out a long sigh, relief flooding over his body. His mind settled and his muscles loosened up, a small smile inching it's way onto his face.

"I find it quite astonishing that you stayed here for so many hours just to make sure she was all right." Crona jumped and looked back up at him, "You must truly care for her." He smiled at the swordsman and watched as a small blush covered his cheeks. "If you would like to see her, she is awake now, but she is quite tired, so I would make your visit short."

Crona snapped back into reality and stood up. Of course he wanted to see her. He _needed_ to see her! He nodded, letting out a small sound to let the professor know he would take him up on the offer. Stein the turned, opening the door and holding it ajar for the young meister. Crona entered the room, the smells of doctoring supplies and cleaning equipment hit him like a hammer as he stepped through the door frame. He soon noticed one more smell in the room. It was faint, but it was still present. Blood. Oh, no, not that smell. A shiver ran down his back as he walked around towards the curtain surrounding Maka's hospital bed.

What had happened to her? How had she been hurt? What would he find when he saw her? Dr. Nygus was peaking around the corner of the curtain, her bandaged face covering her expression. Her one visible eye made contact with Crona's, and she turned around to face the patient.

"Maka, Crona is here to see you," She spoke, "He waited here all through the operation." Crona hear her shuffle in her blankets. He swallowed hard as he walked, slowly wandering around the curtain to look at her.

She lay comfortably, her head raised by the tilted bed to meet eyes with him. Her pigtails were out, allowing her hair to fall over her shoulders while a large band aid covered the side of her chin. Her left arm had been immobilized, strung up in a tenser bandage. Her hospital gown's sleeve was pushed up to revile a long winding line of bandages around her shoulder, small dots of red barley peaking their way through. She looked up at him, her green eyes tired, but calm. She smiled a smaller, cheeky smile when she saw him, greeting him with a slight giggle.

"Hello, Crona," She beamed without a care in the world. Crona trembled, swallowing hard. His eyes just kept on making their way back to her wound. The bandages that wound around her wound were layered thickly. It truly had been a bad accident, hadn't it? "You waited all night for me?" She asked, attempting to straighten up, "Why would you do that?"

Crona froze in the spot, shaking. "I-I" He stuttered, unsure of what to say. "I was s-scared…" He let the bitter truth fall from his lips. He had been truly mortified.

"I'm okay though," She smiled at him, noticing his hands gripping onto his robe in pain. "Everything is going to be okay, it was just a little cut. It happens every once and a while."

Crona wasn't convinced. He continued to hold his emotionless gaze in his attempt to hide his concern. The worst thing that could happen is for his misery to be passed on. Why would this happen? Why now? Why to her? He shuddered, walking up closer to her, positioning himself on the right side of her bed in an attempt to avoid staring at her wound.

"I-I'm so sorry…" He whispered, staring down at his shuffling feet, "T-This is all my fault…"

"What?" She turned to him, "No, it's not your fault! Why would you think it's your fault?"

"I-I was too much o-of a c-c-coward… if I had j-just sucked it up a-and come with you, t-this would have n-never happened!"

She cocked her head sideways to stare into his eyes. "It's not your fault, none of that is your fault! You didn't know this was going to happen, you didn't do anything to cause this." She took her free hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Right? It's going to be okay." She giggled, rubbing his arm. He looked up at her, a small smile starting to form on his face. "Lighten up, it's almost Christmas! This is a time for fun! We're not going to let a little accident stop all of that, right?"

"I-I guess," He smiled.

"There's that smile! See? It's nothing to worry about!"

"But I-I still feel guilty…" he looked away again, "I-I promise, Maka! I'm going to become stronger so that nothing like this ever happens again! I'm going to make sure of it! I'm going to come with you on your next mission, I promise! I'm going to become stronger for you!"

She looked at him. She had heard those words before… _I'm going to become stronger for you! _When Soul had been hurt, she had said something so similar. She was driven by something those days, driven to get stronger by what? It was her fear. Her fear of watching the ones she loved get hurt. In the end, it was something else that made her stronger; something that told her to become more courageous. What was it? Hope? Maybe. She sighed, an awkward silence falling across the room at Crona's declaration.

A small clicking coming from where Stein stood broke it as he twisted his screw in curiosity. "Now then, I'd say you should probably get back home. Maka needs to rest, and you should try to take advantage of the last few hours of the night." He muttered, allowing his hand to fall from the metal protrusion in his head. Crona looked up at him, then back to Maka. He didn't want to leave quite yet!

"I'll see you later, okay, Crona?" She smiled. He gave her a shy smile back, turning to leave and lifting one of his arms to grasp the other.

Stein lead him out, closing the door behind the two. Crona began to walk away as the cloaked Professor brought a cigarette to his mouth, digging in his pockets for a lighter. The swordsman stopped a few feet from the door, not bothering to look back at the meister.

"It w-wasn't an accident, was it?" Crona's voice wobbled in his uneasiness. Stein took a deep inhale, puffing a cloud of smoke into the air witch formed into the shape of a skull.

"No," He answered, watching the grey vapor disappear.

"Who did this to her?" His voice rang with his seriousness.

"If you wish to take revenge for this event, I am sorry, but I am still unaware of who the attacker was. From the knowledge we've gathered, we believe it was a witch. We do not know what her intentions were, however, while preforming the operation; we discovered a small golden and black capsule only about a square centimeter in size. We believe that the witch's aim was to harm her with something within the capsule, however, the capsule showed no sign of harmful material, and we couldn't find any inside of her either. It's confusing, I'll probably need to observe her reactions further in order to diagnose what exactly the damage is." He lifted up his free hand and began to turn his screw.

Crona wanted to find that witch. He wanted to kill her. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn't. He wanted to cover it up and blame it on the black blood, but the hurt he felt came from his soul. He wished to find her and take his sweet revenge for harming his angel. But he mustn't. He must resist his violent urges, must resist his sadistic desires. For now, all he needed to worry about was making the holidays the best for her. She was hurt, there was nothing he could do about it now except try to make this Christmas good for her. It must be so different, this year. Everything was flipped upside down for her, but he was going to try to help. Revenge could wait for now. In the mean time, the festivities were his main focus. He would not allow this curmudgeon to ruin the perfect holiday.

One final click echoed louder than the rest as Stein's screw found its place in his mind. "Now then," He piped up, walking beside Crona, "You best be on your way."

"Right," Crona sighed, following the grey-haired man through the corridors and towards the front door. They two stayed silent, their footsteps ringing through the empty halls. Eventually, they made it to the front lobby. It was significantly colder than it was in the rest of the school. "I'll see you tomorrow, Crona," Stein began to wander away.

"Thank you, P-Professor," Crona mumbled under his breath as he turned towards the door. The handle was bitter cold under his hand. He dreaded going back out there, no matter what the temperature. Suddenly, realization hit him across the head like a sledgehammer.

"W-Wait! Professor Stein! I didn't bring any shoes!"

A few more people had proceeded into the school over the next few hours. Students and staff all filing in to start off one more blasted week before they were finally set free to enjoy the holidays. Miss. Marie found her way over to Crona after catching wind of the incidents later at night and spent some time with him, reassuring him and making conversation to distract him. Crona had been exhausted at the time and had been caught guilty for even falling asleep on the teacher's shoulder. She didn't mind, of course. She was as close to a mother as he had ever had.

Crona had been awoken earlier by the sound of student's passing through the hallway, and was left as drowsy as a sloth. He could swear he was going to fall over, fast asleep any time. He felt himself start to wobble, his eyes slowly aching to close again. "Hey," He heard a familiar voice speak. Crona snapped awake and looked up, finding Soul dressed in his regular jacket and jeans. He stared at Crona with a seemingly angry look, though he knew it was simply as close to a poker face as the scythe could come to. In his arms, he held a small bag filled with various unknown items. "You forgot these," he said, pulling Crona's boots from the side area of the bag.

"Oh, T-Thank you," He took them from his hands.

"Is, um," Soul cleared his throat, "Is she doing all right?"

Crona noticed the concern in his voice. "Oh, uh, y-yeah. She seemed in awfully g-good spirits when I-I visited her, c-considering the circumstance…"

"Good," Soul sighed, slapping a hand to the back of his neck.

"She's all right, don't you worry, Soul-kun. She is under Stein's care." Miss. Marie smiled.

"That's what I feared," Soul's shoulders drooped in comical disappointment.

"Anyways, what is in the bag?" She asked, pointing towards the tote in Soul's hands.

"Oh, I figured she would need some pajamas, considering how much she hates the hospital gowns." He grinned. "Last time she was in the hospital, I got Maka- chopped several times because I made her stay in the hospital clothing for 3 days."

"Oh my, then you better be going." Miss. Marie dismissed him. Crona watched distractedly as Soul turned and walked away. "She might be wanting some new clothes this Christmas." She sighed.

"Why?" Crona looked back up.

"Well, her shirt got all ripped up in combat, so she's going to need a new one for when she recovers!"

"Oh," He mumbled. He had already gotten her a Secret Santa gift, maybe he could find her some more clothes for Christmas day. He pondered it for a while. Perhaps this Christmas would be a great Christmas after all.

The day before had been absolutely painful. His time was spent doing schoolwork and preparing for more final exams that would pop up at the end of the term. He was truly exhausted, trudging down the hallway with heavy feet, still burning and sore from the night before. His mind was cluttered by his constant self-repercussions, reminders of the pain of the night before, as well as anxiety of the upcoming holidays. He could feel that the week was going to move by incredibly slowly, every moment filled with studying and worrying, as if his mind wasn't cluttered enough. What an intense turn of events.

He had barley even bothered to haul himself out of bed that morning. His feet felt like he was walking across sharp pebbles with every step, pain digging into them from the horrible run he had taken the night before. He regretted it with all of his might, though he couldn't take it back now. His eyes also nearly forced themselves closed, making it quite difficult to wake up. That morning he had actually turned the shower's water freezing cold for a few seconds in an attempt to wake himself up, though the plan thoroughly backfired when he was later attacked by Ragnarok. He didn't eat breakfast that morning, and refused to eat lunch. He wouldn't be able to force anything down under this kind of stress.

It was 3rd period, Professor Stein's class. He had assigned an extravagant amount of class work on the psychology of group resonance. Crona had sat in desks for hours now. He was just about fed up with the whole day when suddenly, his opinions were reversed. There was a small knock on the door, catching the student's attentions briefly as Prof. Stein wandered over to answer it. Crona watched him subconsciously, a slight twinge of curiosity fluttering into his mind. The Professor opened the door, welcoming in his tardy student. "Ah! Welcome back," He greeted her, "Glad to see you are doing better. Now, I have assigned some school work, questions are up on the board, the notes I reviewed are in your text book." He instructed her, finally moving out of the way to show her face to the group of students.

Maka stood in the doorway, dressed in her regular plaid skirt, striped tie and yellow sweater vest, her every day school outfit. Her hair had been bundled into slightly messy pigtails witch rested tenderly on her shoulders, framing her face. Her rosy cheeks contrasted with her bright green eyes, joy and freedom shimmering in them. A small smile was plastered onto her lips as she stared at the ground. The one irregular piece of her image seemed to stick out the most. Her left arm lay suspended in a small blue sling, her hand falling limply out of the mesh and two buckles, one over her right shoulder and one around her side under her opposite arm, securely fastened her injured limb to her body.

Crona' heart skipped a beat, his breath getting caught in his throat as her image met his eyes. He wasn't the only one who had noticed her. Several of the others in the resonance group smiled and waved down at her. Drawn by curiosity, she peered up at the ones sitting in the desks, giving them all a greeting smile. Crona simply stared in astonishment. She was all right! He stood up suddenly, only to realize what he did. He looked back to find that no one else had stood up, thus he had drawn a fair bit of attention to himself. His face flushed red, he slowly sat back down, his stare still following the scythe meister as she climbed up the stairs to her seat, giving Crona a slight giggle at his embarrassment. He looked away, a slightly grumpy yet startled expression plastered on his face.

He couldn't deny it; he couldn't wait to talk to her again. She sat down next to him, a smile on her face as she set down her books using her one free hand to flip to the assigned page, grabbing her pencil and some free paper. Crona heard her gasp quietly as her pencil fell to the floor. Crona didn't hesitate to quickly bend down and pick it up for her, giving it back to her. She smiled back to him, mouthing out the words "thank you." It was quite obvious that everyone was wishing to speak with her again, as was she eager to catch up with everyone, however, this was Prof. Stein's class. If chatter begins while there is work to be done, a scalpel may just fly across the room.

So they sat in silence, every last one of them shuffling in their seats, staring up at the clock and waiting for the bell to ring to dismiss them from their class and to send them back home. Unfortunately, it took more than an hour for the bell to finally ring, Crona's schoolwork nearly done, he scribbled down quickly the answer to the last question before he stuffed his papers in between the sheets of his textbook and stood up to greet his recovered friend. She was half way down the stairs, a couple from the group following her and chatting by the time Crona had finally started to follow, the rest of the group also catching up. The group remained stationary at the bottom of the stairs chattering and laughing springing from within them.

"You guys didn't need to be worried about me, I'm fine!" Maka grinned at them.

"Hey come on, what kind of friends would we be if we didn't worry at least a little bit?" Kid smiled. "Even Black*Star was worried!"

"W-What? No!" Black*Star crossed his arms in denial, "Maybe a little," He said under his breath.

"Do you think you'll have your sling off before Christmas?" Tsubaki asked.

"Maybe, It depends on how well I rest it. I should be able to take it off for a little while at a time if I keep my tenser bandage on, but that may still be about a week."

"Oh, that's too bad, you might not be able to dance at the school Christmas party!" Liz sighed. "Being a wall flower is no fun."

"I wasn't really planning on asking anyone to dance. I might have danced with some of you guys just for fun but," She gestured with her eyes down to her sling, "I guess there's nothing we can do about it now!"

"Dang, that's not cool," Soul sighed, "I guess I'm going to have to carry your backpack around now."

"You can help a poor cripple out!" his meister chuckled.

"I'll help too!" Patty shouted, thrusting her fist into the air.

"I'd love to help out as well!" Tsubaki volunteered.

Crona nodded in offering. "I-I'm still just glad you're o-okay…"

"Same here," Soul mumbled, "That was a little bit of a close call."

"I'm alright now though, that's the only thing that matters," Maka smiled, "The holidays are coming up, and I'm not going to let this little accident be a setback."

"Yay!" Patty shouted in agreeance.

"Hopefully you're feeling better before the party, we have quite a few fun activities planned!" Kid announced.

"I'll do what I can," Maka shrugged, "I'd hate to miss it."

"Could you even recover in 4 days?" Black*Star eyed her wound in curiosity.

"I think so, she's recovered pretty quickly before," Tsubaki suggested.

"I'm not sure, I'll do my best. Anyways, is there anything I missed the last few days?"

"Oh yeah, you should have seen Black*Star during training yesterday!" Soul laughed.

"What!? No! Don't tell her that story!" He shouted, concern in his voice in an attempt to stop the scythe from spilling his humiliating secret.

"What happened?" She giggled.

"He was running when he slipped and tore a huge hole in the back of his pants! He had to wear them for the rest of the day before he got to go home and change!" Soul laughed.

"Soul!" Black*Star shouted as the group laughed, his face turning red.

"I'm sorry," Soul muttered, holding back his laughter, "I just had to tell!" Black*Star crossed his arms, a look of displeasure plastered on his face.

"It's all right though, everyone has accidents, and some of them will be okay to laugh with," Tsubaki forced a smile in an attempt to lighten Black*Star's mood.

"After all, a god will need some stories to tell to his followers," Kid sniggered.

"Fine," Black*Star sighed, pulling his hands up behind his head.

"Well then, you guys are sure chatty!" Crona jumped slightly at the lab coat dressed professor. "Welcome back, Maka!"

"Thanks, professor," She smiled.

"Now, what are you all doing standing around and chatting? Not to push you out, but the school day is over, and I have to get to my marking!" He announced.

"Right, sorry Professor!" Tsubaki apologized. "We'll see you tomorrow, then." The group started to walk towards the door, waving at the patchwork doctor.

The group continued to chatter on in the hallway, their steps slow and synchronized as they made their way down the hallway, every once and a while, a few members of the group breaking off to access their lockers, waving goodbye to the portion that continued on. Soon enough, it was just Maka Soul and Crona. Eventually, Maka and Soul found their way to their lockers, nearly side by side with eachother.

"We'll meet you by the door, okay?" Maka called after Crona who had began to walk away.

"O-Okay," Crona smiled, making his way down the hallways once more. And once again, he was alone.

Tapping echoed out into the nearly empty hallways as Crona speed-walked briskly towards the door. He gripped his arm tightly, this time, his hand clenching his throbbing shoulder. His hair was once again a mess, a few pieces flung from side to side. He had spent quite a fair bit of time by his locker, though if he was honest with himself, it wasn't the tiniest bit his fault. It happened again. Oh, why had it happened again? It was truly the thing he feared about being alone in the school, the ones who would wait until he accessed his locker. With nothing better to do and some sure anger to take out, they would make their way towards the lockers in the deserted back hallways to find the 'Demon Sword'. That was his name to them. He didn't have any other labels to them, simply his old name. He cursed that name, for it was not his anymore. It was simply the name of the shell he shed long ago.

There were four of them, taller, stronger, and higher ranked meisters and weapons, simply wishing to pick on the small, scrawny, lesser swordsman. It was the same scenario every time. After exploiting his past, picking away at Crona's patience and getting him itching for a fight. Once threatened, Crona would attempt to halt his Black Blood by refusing to fight, however, they wouldn't stop at simply riling him up. They wanted him hunched over, on the ground, or in pain. According to them, he was incredibly easy to tease. Crona fought with all of his will power to not pick up his sword or throw any punches. He has learned that with his strength, he should only fight when he intends to kill. He cannot hold back. If it causes him to become beat down a few times, so be it. As long as he doesn't end up hurting anyone again, he would be happy.

"S-Sorry!" He shouted slightly to alert the two of his presence as he stepped out the door. He was panting slightly, his feet burning once again.

"Hey, where were you? We've been freezing out butts off here while you've been lollygagging! Come on, pick up the pace!" Soul folded his arms in displeasure.

"S-Sorry!" Crona repeated himself.

"What was keeping you? You were back there for a while," Maka cocked her head, attempting to make eye contact.

"I-I couldn't get my l-locker open," Crona lied. He didn't want to worry her, not now at least. "I-I'm so sorry!" He slipped his backpack on, catching his breath.

"Here, you carry this," Soul passed Maka's bag towards the swordsman, landing it heavily in his unexpected arms, "Since you kept us waiting."

"Soul," Maka turned to him in protest.

"No, I-I don't mind…" Crona mumbled, slinging her bag over his one unharmed shoulder. The three began to walk down the hundreds of icy stairs towards the city below. Crona moved himself in closer proximity to the pigtailed meister in his concern. These steps were slippery. If she were to fall, she wouldn't be able to catch herself, perhaps even worsening her injury. It was so much easier to walk up the stares bare footed. Though it was quite painful, it was much easier to grab on than to walk on with nearly grip-less shoes. Soul and Maka continued on some conversation, the swordsman once again off in his own little world.

He was only disturbed when he heard an unusual sound. It was one he had never encountered before, at least not in a scenario such as this one. It came from the level area of the city, just below the stairs. It rang out into the cold air, carrying with it, spirit and hope. It was singing. No, caroling, coming from a few young children standing off to the side. Their jackets were not warm enough, their shoes not thick enough, but they still snag on with joy in their hearts, a small cup in their hands. Four of them. Three girls and one boy, all looking to be siblings. They were one of the poorer families in Death City. Though the city had very little homeless, there were still the few who wouldn't have enough money to keep up with the sudden change of the transforming seasons. They were humans, and not wealthy enough to partake in the Shibusen's schooling.

Their gorgeous chorus rang out through the empty roads, giving the season a new sense of warmth. Maka stopped for a moment, eager to listen in.

"Oi, why did you stop? We need to be heading back," Soul nagged her. She gave him a quick glare back.

"I want to listen," She declared, "They sound really pretty."

"Well I have homework I need to do, and it's absolutely freezing out here!" Soul muttered before turning to leave. Maka frowned as she followed. Crona stopped for a moment, viewing the four. He had an ache, a pact of sympathy for these young children. They must be truly freezing out here with their tiny little jackets. Quickly, he dove his hand into his robe pocket, digging around until he found a few coins. It was little, but it was almost all of what he had left. He wandered up to them and placed the coins in the youngest's cup, the cup of the little boy. He smiled at them before taking off after the others who were already half a block from the caroling children. He felt something in his heart, a feeling of warmth and security. Though it wasn't much, he gave what he could, and he felt the gratefulness of the children. A couple of links had been taken off of his chain that day, for the little one who seemed to have only taken, had given something to strangers; given both the carolers, and himself, a little bit more hope.

"Come on!" Patty squealed, shoving Crona towards a fitting room. It was only a few hours before the Christmas party was to start. The group was in the back fitting room, looking through some provided outfits and gaining each other's opinions on how they looked. Of course, it was Liz and Patty who for the most part, did a lot of dressing them all up, though they each did have their inputs. Crona was anxious. This was his first Christmas party, and his first Secret Santa. Would Maka like his gift? He hoped so, though he couldn't help but feel nervous. Eventually he convinced himself to simply focus on the task at hand and worry about the gifts when the time comes.

"You know, he's not a dress up doll," Maka giggled as Tsubaki brushed her hair back nicely. Though Maka was coming quite close to recovery, she still couldn't lift her arm very high and could only have her sling off for a couple minuets at a time.

"What about this one?" Liz said, brushing through a couple of the closets and pointing out a slightly frilly dress-suit.

"That's the 14th one!" Maka grumbled.

"But he's just so easy to dress up!" Patty giggled.

"No, you're right, to frilly," Liz swiped past the suit, continuing to search on.

"Oh for crying out loud! Can't he just wear the one he wore last time!? Then we can finally be done with this! I swear if you try to fit him into one more outfit, I'm going to beat you!" Ragnarok threatened, popping from Crona's back.

"Okay, okay, just one more!" Liz called back.

"We still have to find you a dress though, Maka!" Tsubaki tugged on Maka's hair slightly, pinning it back with a small beret.

"Oh, right," She murmured. What was she going to wear?

"I think that a nice Christmassy green might be nice," Tsubaki suggested, "But you do also look really good in blue." She placed another beret on the other side of Maka's hair.

"Uh, Tsubaki?" Kid spoke as the weapon looked over at him, "Could you pleas move the beret on her left side up 0.26 centimeters? It will not be symmetrical if you do not."

"Y-you can tell that much detail?" Tsubaki stared at him, concern on her face. Before sighing and unclipping Maka's beret, lifting it up just slightly.

"No, no, no! Don't approximate!" Kid ran over to them, some how a measuring tape had found it's way into his hands. He quickly strung it out, measuring around Maka's head as he rambled onwards in his attempt to fix it. Just behind her, she could hear two voices sniggering. Already dressed and ready, Soul and Black*Star sat leaning against a back counter, biting their fists in an attempt to resist bursting out laughing. Maka glared back at them. "and as you can see you only moved it up around 0.18 centimeters and—Maka please stop moving your head, you're making it painfully difficult to fix this."

"You do not need to fix it. From a couple feet away, you will not even notice it." Maka gave him a glare.

"Yes I will! I all ready know that it is asymmetrical, so I cannot just simply dismiss it! Just let me fix it!"

"Fine," Maka sighed as Kid pulled the beret ever so slightly. "You know if my stronger hand wasn't injured, I would already have a book in it."

"Come now, he's only trying to help," Tsubaki sighed, continuing to brush through her hair.

"There, you're done!" Patty shouted.

"Next it's your turn Maka," Liz smiled, "Come on, come out here! We all want to see you!" She shouted impatiently for the Swordsman. He stepped out of the room shyly, moving one of his hands to grip his opposite arm as he stared at the ground. He was dressed in a white buttoned-up dress shirt with a pale grey rimmed vest to match resting over top. His collar covered most of his neck, having been buttoned up fairly high. There was a small unbuttoned piece at the back of his neck, just the right size for Ragnarok to fit in. His pants were in the matching style, except were a solid black and covered the tops of his shoes. Maka couldn't deny it, he looked pretty good.

"I-Is this all right?" He asked, hoping to not gain too much attention.

"You look really good in that, Crona," Maka beamed, "I like it!"

"T-Thanks," Crona blushed slightly, walking over to the rest of the group.

"All right, let's find you a nice pretty dress!" Liz exclaimed, dashing over to the opposite side of the room where the dresses hung. "We have a lot of really pretty ones in here, what were you thinking of?"

"Just something simple," She smiled, "And nothing revealing" She added in, catching Liz eyeing down a quite low-cut top.

"What about that one, there?" Tsubaki set down her brush and pointed over at a small, plain spaghetti strapped sun dress. It's top contained very faint white stripes across it, and it came fitted with a small, white, short-sleeved dress-jacket. "It even matches your berets!" Tsubaki beamed.

"Well, try it on, see if it fits," Liz took it off the hanger and passed it over to her. There was a small ringing sound, a chime like that of a bell. Kid looked down at his watch, eyeing the time.

"It's 5:00, people are going to start arriving soon," He said, gesturing towards the device's hands.

"Ya-HOO!" Black*Star shouted an evil grin on his face. "How many people are going to fall into my amazing trap!?"

"Trap?" Liz looked over at him as Soul let out a snigger.

"Oh, it's nothing to be afraid of, just be careful of what's above you," Soul hinted. Oh no. Whenever there was a trap somewhere, hell was sure to break loose. Crona swallowed hard.

"Well, I'm going to head out to the front door to great the guests, you guys can stay here or follow." Kid turned to leave.

"Coming!" Patty shouted, "Come on, Sis!" She dragged Liz along by her dress' sleeve.

"Hey now, slow down, Patty!" Liz moaned as she followed.

"I'm going to observe my trap to see if anyone will fall into it!" Black*Star chuckled, "Coming Soul?"

"Hell yes!" Soul shouted as he followed, an identical stupid grin plastered on each of their faces as they rushed off to the main hall.

"Why don't you head on down to the hall, and I'll be there in a second," Maka suggested to Crona.

"Lets go, Crona!" Ragnarok sounded off, not giving Crona a chance to speak, "I want to get the best of the food before everyone else takes it!"

"O-Okay, I'll see you t-there I guess," Crona started to walk away. He felt odd, leaving the room so unceremoniously. He wished he could've waited for her, to walk to the hall together, but then again, everyone was telling him that he should've probably left anyways to make it less awkward. A good friend to all as she was, Tsubaki would've probably helped Maka to change anyways with her wounded arm, and sticking around would have made everything incredibly weird. By the time he entered the hall, students and staff were already beginning to pile in, filling the room with noise and chatter. Behind his back, he held a small present that he had grabbed from his locker before heading to the hall, the present for the Secret Santa. Music played on in the halls as Soul and Black*Star stood in the corner, watching over certain areas of the room, looking obviously suspicious with enormous, devilish smiles on their faces.

Crona's first stop was of course the food tables, for Ragnarok would have hit him on the head until he went over there anyways. Crona made sure to pick up all that Ragnarok had requested onto a plate, the dish brimming by the time he was done. He stood patiently against the back wall, waiting as Ragnarok shoveled his face full of food. It was an uncivilized sight, but Crona was used to it. He waited unwearyingly for the ceremony to begin. He was counting the seconds out of his own boredom, waiting for some sign of change, some sign that he could move or become preoccupied somehow. He wished for Kid to begin announcing the greetings for the ceremony, or for Maka to arrive and begin a conversation with him. Just please, bless him with an opportunity to fill his time.

Careful what you wish for.

Crona winced slightly as he was hit on the top of the head with Ragnarok's plate. "Hey, dumb ass! I'm done, so clean up my plate!" He shouted, waving his cleared plate in the air.

"Hey," Crona whined, "You don't have to hit me with it!"

"Well you were off in your own world! How was I supposed to snap you out of that? I can't just wave my hand in front of your face, you're too blind to notice it!" The demon shouted as Crona took his plate from him, wandering over to the snack table where a small tray for the dirty dishes sat, placing it on top of the few other dishes placed within it. "Hey, hey, don't look now, but your girlfriend is here." Ragnarok barked.

Crona's eyes lifted up towards the doorway, his gaze meeting Maka's straight on. They made a quick greeting from across the room, Maka lifting her free hand to wave at him. Feeling his face go hot in a small blush, Crona waved back, smiling slightly and putting his gift back behind his back.

"Ha! You didn't deny it!" Ragnarok chuckled.

"She's not my girlfriend…" Crona mumbled.

"Too late!"

Tsubaki pointed over in the direction she was walking to tell Maka of her departure as the pigtailed meister made her way towards the young swordsman. She looked beautiful. Her dress fit her perfectly, her hair styled simply but strikingly, framing her face as it barley swept over her cheeks. Her eyes shone radiantly in the bright light of the hall, the warm green shimmer inviting him to a conversation as she wandered over to him. Ragnarok, knowing his place, retreated into Crona's back.

"You look so lonely over here by yourself!" She smiled, coming to stand beside him.

"I-I didn't really know w-who to talk to…" He mumbled, clutching his half hidden arm and staring at the ground.

"Oh, well that's alright, you have someone to talk to now. I think that a lot of the people are here now, I think that Kid should be giving his opening speech any minuet now. Oh, and by the way, I'd be careful where you stand. Tsubaki told me that Black*Star hung up 4 or 5 mistletoes through the room."

"What's that?" Crona asked.

"Oh, it's a plant that people hang up. According to Christmas tradition, if you stand underneath it with someone, you'll have to kiss them. Black*Star hung them up to see how many people he could prank."

"Wouldn't that be kind of embarrassing though?"

"I think that was the point of the prank."

Crona felt Ragnarok stir, a chill going down his back. Oh, how he knew exactly what Ragnarok was thinking, and he did not like it.

"Oh, there's Kid! It looks like the party is about to start!" She smiled, turning to face the stage as Kid made his way to the back of the room to announce the beginning of the party and give his greeting. Once he had found his way to the center of the stage, he cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence. The room slowly began to quiet, muffled 'shhhh's floating around it.

"On the behalf of my father, I would like to welcome you, staff and students, to the Shibusen's Holiday party!" The crowd let out a round of applause. "During the party, various activities and games will be taking place in several areas. All of the event times are listed in the pamphlet at the back of the room. There is food and drink and music supplied, feel free to stand up and celebrate as you wish. Feel free to leave when you wish to, however the doors will close at 10:00. I would also like to announce, that thanks to the help of the students, we have prepared one present each for every one of our wonderful staff members, Teachers, Professors, Doctors, and all. A special thanks to Liz and Patty Thompson for supplying and wrapping the presents. On the other hand, Merry Christmas, and Happy holidays, and I hope you have a good time!" He wrapped up his speech, stepping down from the stage as the audience clapped.

"Wow, he's really g-good at speeches." Crona mumbled.

"Bet you 10 dollars he made that all up as he went." Maka smiled.

"I wouldn't b-bet that, I'm sure he a-actually did make it up as he w-went." Crona giggled slightly.

"Well, I think it's about time we did our Secret Santa exchange, don't you think? That's what you've been hiding behind your back, isn't it?" She giggled.

"W-What? No." He told a child's lie, half hoping she would know it was a joke. She giggled before turning to attempt to make eye contact with some of the others, beckoning them over with a wave. It took a few minuets for the group to gather, but before they knew it, they were all sitting in a circled around the presents that they had placed down anonymously. They made sure to sit out of the way of festivities in order to carry on their opening in without disturbance.

They each looked around, finding each other's presents and taking their own to sit in their laps. Crona watched curiously as Maka took hers from the pile, eyeing it down in an attempt to silently guess what it was. Crona's gift was wrapped up in a bag, green tissue paper sticking out of the top to hide the contents within. Almost all at the same time, they began to unwrap each other's presents, one by one admitting to who gave the presents to eachother. Crona watched as Maka unwrapped her gift, delicately pulling the paper off to reveal the book inside. He saw her eyes fill with joy as she found the title, a huge smile on her face.

"Oh, thank you!" She flipped open the first few pages, "Who was my Secret Santa?" She looked up at the group.

"Oh, t-that was me," Crona stuttered, admitting to it, "You were r-r-really close to the end of your book, so I wanted to get the n-next one for you."

"Thanks so much, I love it! Open yours what did you get?" She leaned in eagerly as Crona pulled the wrapping paper out of the bag to reveal the contents within. There was a small, black covered book with a pen to match. The pages were lined and blank.

"It's a journal for all the things that you write and draw!" Crona heard Tsubaki say.

"T-Thank you," He smiled.

"Oh, and there's a little something in there for Ragnarok too."

Ragnarok popped out of Crona's back, leaning over the meister's head in curiosity. "Something for me?" Crona lifted out a small candy-styled shish kebab with one of each of the small demon's favorite Candies. "Ohh!" Ragnarok snatched it up, holding it protectively.

"T-Thank you so much," Crona mumbled as the unwrapping continued.

Conversations commenced as the group sat, chatting and laughing the night away. Christmas music played on from a record player in the back, setting the mood for the night as it went on and on, the hours slowly flying by.

The group slowly began to depart, Soul and Black*Star returning to their posts to spy on whoever would fall into their trap. Tsubaki returned to chatting with the other students while Kid, Liz and Patty continued to set up and organize the events. The secret Santa gifts were all stacked in a small pile to be taken home after the pile (With the exception of Ragnarok's of course, witch he eagerly gobbled up as soon as he had gotten it). Soon enough, it was just him and Maka again. He felt odd, having her around him so much, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. She had already engaged in conversation, a small plate of food in her hands from the buffet.

Crona felt so calm. It was a truly a great thing, this Holiday Event. He hadn't spoken so much for a long time, locked in the conversation with the young meister. They chatted on about their plans for Christmas, and how Kid had invited them to have a Christmas Dinner at his manor, and the gifts they had received at the Secret Santa exchange. They spoke about the taste of the food, the smell of the tree the sight of all the people around them. They spoke about their friends, they spoke about the events, and they spoke about things out of the ordinary.

"Say Crona?" Maka turned to him, looking for a new conversation. Crona looked up at her in acknowledgment "What do you plan on doing after you graduate the Shibusen?"

Crona stared at her for a while, thinking of an answer. "W-Well, I guess I don't really know… I-I never thought about it." He looked down at the ground. "I might try to be b-braver, maybe I could teach."

"That would be neat! I think that you would make a really good teacher!" She smiled at him, "You know, if you make a death scythe, or are a death scythe, you get monthly wages from the Shibusen even when you're not working! I was thinking if I could make Soul into a Death Scythe, then I could complete my dream."

"What's your d-dream?" Crona looked at her with curiosity in his eyes.

"I want to travel around the world, just like my mother did. I want to be able to see the world when I'm not out battling or on missions. I want to be able to visit all of these different places. That is my dream." She smiled.

"Oh, t-that sounds so cool!"

"You know, I wonder what would happen if you made Ragnarok a Death Scythe, since you're the only one who can wield him, I wonder how that would work."

"I-I might have to make s-someone else a Death Scythe, if I was going t-to do that," Crona giggled.

"Do you ever think about looking for another partner? I mean, just to make a death scythe?"

"I g-guess, but I'm not sure if I-I could be quite brave enough t-to ask someone…" He wanted to train with her. That was truly what he wanted, but like he said, he probably would never be brave enough to ask her to be. Could he hint to it? "H-Have you ever thought about training as a w-weapon?"

"Yeah, I don't think I could train a Death Scythe and become one all at the same time though. Maybe once I'm done training with Soul, I'll look into it. Hey, did you hear that we hit 75 souls? We're three quarters of the way through!"

"Wow, t-that's amazing! Congratulations!"

"I wonder if the wages are different if you both trained a Death Scythe and are one. That could help me save up for my travels. In all truthfulness, I don't think I'd truly settle down with anyone, I'd be happy on my travels."

_Oh._ Crona's heart seemed to slow slightly. Why? He assumed it was because he'd longed for things to stay the same, him at the Shibusen with her and Soul and the rest. If she left, he wouldn't be able to see her for a long time. "Why not?" He asked.

"I don't know, I guess, I just don't believe in love anymore. I know it's kind of stupid, but ever since the divorce, and after seeing what my Papa did, I lost a little bit of hope in it."

"Oh, I-I understand…" His feet shuffled as he stared down at the ground.

"Times change. That's just how life is. Sometimes it's for the best, sometimes it isn't." She sighed, looking down at her plate. "Oh shoot," She mumbled to herself, trying to shift her fork to her free hand.

"Here," Crona reached over, poking a small item with her fork and bringing it up to her mouth. She blushed, accepting it and giving him a small smile.

"Thank you," She mumbled, blushing and giggling, "I really am helpless, aren't I?"

"Not really," He smiled, "At least you can still use your other hand." He picked up another small food item, pulling it towards her mouth. They continued to chat and giggle on, not caring at all if anyone saw them. Eventually, Maka returned her empty plate into the bin, staring at the crowd around as she returned. Crona watched her as a smile fell over her face, and she turned, a skip in her step as she hurried over to him. Crona waited in curiosity, she obviously wanted to say something to him, but what?

"Crona! We should dance!" She smiled as she stopped in front of him. Crona stopped. He took a step backwards, put off by the sudden request, his stomach doing summersaults and his face turning red.

"W-w-w-what?" He stuttered out, surprised.

"Come on, we can't just stand around the whole night, we should go stretch our legs!" She smiled.

"B-b-but, I-I've never danced b-before! A-and with your arm, c-c-could you even dance in the f-first place?"

"It's okay! I'll teach you how to dance! I can have my arm out of my sling for a few minuets, we'll just dance for a little while!"

Crona had been summoned to his doom. He couldn't dance, not with her! Not now! Not in front of all these people! He couldn't, it was moving to fast. He wasn't ready to step so far out of his comfort zone! "I-I can't, I'm not going t-to," He mumbled out stubbornly.

"Why not?" Maka cocked her head.

"I can't d-dance in front of all t-these people! I-I don't want t-to be seen! I can't do it!"

"Sure you can! No one's going to look at you, and besides, I think it'll be fun!"

"I-I can't, I'm sorry," Crona sighed. Maka stared at him. He needed to start stepping out his comfort zone and have a little bit of fun. It wasn't too much, it was just a simple action, and Maka hadn't danced for a very long time. It looked like she was getting nowhere with him, he had made it very clear that he was too uncomfortable.

"Please? For me?" She smiled, attempting to wear him down by wearing a tiny pout, staring into his eyes. "We don't have to dance for long!" Crona looked away, staring down at the ground in refusal. Maka sighed, reaching up to her sling and unbuckling the two straps and allowing her bandaged arm to fall loose. Placing her sling on the ground, she walked over to the swordsman and took both of his hands in hers, letting out a small giggle as his face turned red. "Here, I'll show you!" She smiled at him, pulling him gently out onto the dance floor. To her surprise, he followed.

His face completely covered in a blush, she led his hand to her waste and placed her casted hand onto his shoulder. Soon enough they were mixed up into the mass of people, the music keeping the beat of their feet as she allowed him to lead, swaying their arms up and down as she showed him the different foot maneuvers. "There you go! You're getting the hang of it!" She smiled. She was glad that he had come out to dance, for she knew it was good for him. He needed to interact more, try new things and have some fun. Though she could tell he was being quite shy about it, she felt his tense hands slowly begin to loosen up as the dance continued.

In the other perspective, Crona was dying. He could not believe this was happening! Though he had fantasized about it, he didn't know how to deal with a single moment of it in real life. He felt like he was going to pass out dead any second from the shock factor, just to collapse on the floor, humiliated. He felt everyone's eyes staring in on him, pressuring him as he was caught in this forced embrace, shaking in his slow attempt to loosen up. A sudden thought crossed his mind that nearly made him freeze up. What if Spirit or Soul saw them? What would they say? What would they do? They would probably be angry with him for dancing with her, and he could never blame it on her, even if, like in this case, it was her to blame after all. Crona shuddered slightly, his steps becoming choppy and out of place.

"Here, it's all right, just follow me," Maka smiled, noticing his discomfort and moving his hand with a bit more force, the other meister, still with his eyes facing the floor to evade eye contact, following right behind her. It was only after a few more minuets that she felt the comfort to bring herself a little closer, Crona looking up to meet his gaze with hers. She giggled, leading him onwards. Eventually, she started to feel a small sharp pain coming from her wound. She had stayed out of her sling for too long.

"Crona, my arm is starting to hurt, I'm going to put my sling back on, okay?" She stopped dancing, pulling her hand off of his shoulder.

"Are y-you okay?" Crona asked in concern.

"Yes, I just need to get back in my sling." The two left the dance floor, Maka's free hand still connected to Crona's, their fingers wound between each other's. Crona assisted to strap her arm back into her sling, his cheeks still glowing a bright red colour. "See that wasn't so bad," She giggled as he buckled in her second strap.

"I-I guess," Crona lied. He was close to passing out on the ground, due to all of this embarrassment. He was done with this humiliation. But seeing the light in her eyes, he was reassured that he had done something good. He had made her happy, and that alone was what made him happy too. So, the two went on, returning to their original state of chatter and laughter. Crona hadn't truly been so happy in a very, very long time. At the same time, Maka was glad that she could be as happy as she was so long ago.

"Oh! Maka, there you are!" Kid ran up to her, his eyes darting too and fro. "I'm sorry I couldn't find anyone else, I need to supervise a game right now, do you think you could bring out a box from the back room and set it up in Prof. Stein's class room? It has a bunch of board games in it, and it should be just near the back in the right corner, if you can't carry it, do you think you could ask someone else too?"

"What? Sure, Kid, you go supervise your game, I'll get it set up for you." She smiled.

"Oh, thank you, okay, I have to go, though, I mustn't be tardy! Everything must be exact and perfect!" Maka giggled as he ran off, streaking down the hallway. She returned back to her area near Crona on the wall after returning another smaller food plate to the bin.

"W-What did Kid need?" Crona asked in curiosity.

"Oh, do you think you could actually help me with that? There's a box in the back room that I'm supposed to get and set up in Prof. Stein's room, do you think you could help me carry it? I don't think I could with my arm."

"Sure, Maka," He agreed to helping her before even processing the request, though he didn't regret it.

"Thanks!" She beamed, wandering off towards the half-covered door beside the stage, the pink haired swordsman following only a few steps behind. He opened the door for her and reached inside to turn on the light to the musty room. The light was small, and with the door covered by a curtain, the main source of light for the room had disappeared, leaving them in the dim light to rustle around in a pathetic attempt to find the designated box.

"So what is the box that you're looking for?" Crona asked.

"It should be one at the back, to the right, and it's supposed to have a bunch of board games in it." She said, looking around.

A silence filled the room as the two looked around. Eventually, feeling obligated, Crona broke it. "I'm sorry I was being so s-stubborn when you wanted to dance, I-I guess I was just a little b-b-bit shy about dancing around all those other people."

"Oh? No it's all right, I'm sorry I pushed you so hard, I should have seen you were uncomfortable." She smiled.

"Thank you for spending so much time with me this party," Crona mumbled, a tiny red forming on his cheeks, "I-I love to spend t-time with you." _Dammit! That sounded too direct! _"I-I mean, well, um, I-I don't know… I j-just…"

She stifled a laugh, trying not to giggle out at him. "I love to spend time with you! It's okay to like spending time with people, it's not strange!"

"Oh, o-okay…" Crona blushed. "W-Why would you spend s-so much time with me anyways? I-I though you would spend the w-whole time with Soul or one o-of the others," He mumbled, taking a few steps closer to where she was searching.

"Isn't it obvious? I care about you! I wanted to make your first Christmas great!" Crona paused for a moment, staring at her. "Now, let's find that box!"

"R-right!" Crona mumbled as he continued to search. There were so many boxes; he thought they would never find the one! Kid sure hadn't given them much to go off of, he must have really been in a hurry. Usually he would have given an exact description of the box, being who he was. But at the moment, Crona's mind was filled with something else. What Maka had said had stirred up so much thought. He still could not understand why she would care about him. It was preposterous! He couldn't understand why anyone would care about him! He knew there was something here, but he couldn't understand it either. Being alone with her, no judging eyes surrounding them, gave him a feeling of comfort and freedom to truly tell her how much he cared.

But he did not know how much he cared. He felt for her greatly, but he didn't know how to say it without it being strange. He couldn't deal with this situation! He was too unsure how too! Yet all this time he felt some strange obsession, some strange feeling, he didn't know what to call it. It was the second drive for motivation. He could feel that it was! But what…?

"I think it might be up here somewhere," Maka declared as she wandered towards a large pile of boxes. Crona walked towards her, peering through the same areas that she was. Maka searched up and down the pile until her eyes suddenly stopped, staring up at something that had caught her eye. Had she found the box? Crona followed her gaze, witch pointed straight upwards, not following the pile at all, as he found something hanging from the ceiling. "I guess Black*Star set up his trap in other places too," Maka muttered.

Crona jumped, his face going red. They weren't both under it, were they? Oh no, this was so embarrassing! He didn't know how to deal with that! "T-T-That's mistletoe?" He asked in a shaky voice. Maka noticed his blushing face and let out a tiny giggle, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to give him a small peck on the cheek.

He tensed up, his face turning all different shades of red as he looked down at the pigtailed meister. "Sorry," She giggled, a small blush on her cheeks. Crona couldn't stop staring. He didn't know what had come over him, he felt so warm. What was it? What was it? And more importantly, why?

"I-It's o-o-okay," He stuttered out quietly, staring at the ground. She peered up at him, her eyes alight with curiosity. She wanted to, but would he let her? Why did she want to?

It had become apparent to her quite a while ago that Crona had a crush on her. She had seen it, but she didn't know if he would every try to tell her. In fact, she was sure he didn't even know himself! He looked up at her, and their eyes met, a shaky gaze held between them as the two moved closer. She could not help herself, and she did not know why, but something pushed her forwards. Without a second thought, she put her free arm around his neck, and locked them into a kiss, claiming his lips with her own. She felt Crona jump, tensing up as they locked eachother into a frozen embrace. To her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her, accepting it.

Eventually, she pulled away, staring back into his dumbstruck eyes, his face flushed pure red. She giggled, cocking her head to the side. "Now, let's find that box!" She smiled, her eyes lit up with hope.


	4. Chapter 4: Darkness

Chapter 4: Darkness

The silence enveloped the entire world as the two sat in the blaring, yet calming sunlight, their cares erased, their world unclaimed. The two small puppets stolen from the planet had finally had their strings snipped and replaced with wings, wings that would take them higher and onwards in the vast circling epoch of life.

There were two of them, sitting alone, sitting unfazed by the every-slowly moving sun. The first was a tall man, his eyes closed, his bulky arm rested loosely on his upright leg. His name now matched his situation. He was finally Free. He had a future now, and though it would go on forever, it was better than going on forever in the clutches of a puppeteer. His breathing was calm and shallow, his face turned up towards the sun. Though he was finally released from his ensnaring curse, he still wore his white and black prison-wear, his chain ball still firmly attached to his leg. He was happy where he was, finally broken free from his past, free from his fears and free from his mistakes, for though they were still attached to him, he didn't even notice their weight, like his chain ball.

The second of the two appeared dwarfed compared to the wolf man, a short, skinny girl, her hands behind her, resting on the stone she rested on for support. She wore a tall, yellowy-brown hat as well as a black, poke-a-dotted dress. Her large, dazed eyes, heavy lashes and strange, tattooed dots on either side of her mouth defined her facial features, a small smile placed gently on her lips. She stared up at the sky, watching the clouds with her eyes wide in wonder. She was a witch. Another being that seemed to be sought after everywhere, a puppet to a horrible cause, and a species despised by the mass of the population. But now, she too sat in relaxation. She had nothing more to worry about, for she could go on with her life, never having to think about what she was put through. She too was finally free.

"I always admired it," Free spoke up, breaking the long silence. Eruka looked up at him in curiosity, "The clouds, they was they just flow around and take whatever form the wind pushes them into. You know, I'm thinking of keeping that name: Free."

"Geko." The frog witch let out a ribbit, "I think that it really suits you."

"Thanks," He sighed, looking down slightly, "I cannot remember the last time I saw the sun, at least, as a free man. It feels nice."

"It's a shame the Shibusen still has us under their radar," She looked back up at the sky, "But to finally do what we wish to do, it… really makes me feel free."

The wolf man let out a slight chuckle, "Yah."

_Oh, how unaware those two really are. _She thought to herself, eyeing them down from a slight distance as she coiled herself around the branch of a tree. _What a lovely little surprise I can bestow apon them. Do not call yourself free unless you know that you truly are. _She slid herself through the treetops, tasting the air for the two's scents. She must remain hidden for now, for what would a surprise be without her keeping it secret. Slowly she made her way towards them, her plan already fully formed in her head. Now all she needed was to once again string up her puppets.

_"What a coincidence, than I just so happened to find you two here,"_ She hissed out at them, bringing herself into the tree right next to where they sat. The two of them jumped, looking over at the source of the sound.

"H-Hello?" the immortal squinted his eyes, peering into the tree. For the moment, she remained hidden.

"Geko…" the witch gulped, peering out at the sound, a look of uncertainty plastered on her face.

"Who's there?" Free demanded this time.

_"Oh, no one important," _She hissed as she slithered closer, _"I'm just surprised you don't recognize my voice, after all the good time we had together…" _A snake lowered it's head out for the branches of the tree, her body black with the exception of her golden underbelly as well as strange arrow-shaped markings to match, climbing all the way up her body. The familiar eyes of their puppet-master stared at them from the body of the creature. Though the creatures were usually expressionless, this one staring at them now had a devilish grin plastered permanently onto her face, the same spine-chilling grin they had been met with many times before.

"M-M-Medusa-Sama!" Eruka jumped back, Free suddenly getting defensive as he stood up, a look of hatred in his eyes, "Y-you're alive?" She trembled in her fear of the horrible snake.

_"It would appear so," _She stared into the frog's eyes, _"Just when you thought you were done with me, then, Eruka? I'm sorry, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to win that battle, so I waited until my work was done. I made very sure that the scythe meister though she had killed me, when really, her attack never even touched me. I simply staged my death. Was it not brilliant?"_ She chuckled.

"H-how did you make it?"

_"I simply hid my soul into a gathering of my snakes, the form that you see before you. I vanished, but I had to make it as believable as possible, I hope you don't mind, but I used the snakes in both of your bodies to support my soul until I was far enough away from the Shibusen rats to return it into my pre-constructed body." _The snake witch noticed the fear in they other's eyes, _"Oh yes, I still have my snakes inside of you. I still have you as my little errand-runners, and you are still under my command, unless you wish to fall into a horrible fate. You can work off your little, well, condition, but at the moment, it would seem like you have caught me monologuing. To announce my survival is not truly why I came here. I have a little task for you~" _She cooed devilishly.

"What is this task?" Free stared at her, frustration flaring in his eyes. "Why do you need us to do it? Just find another body!"

_"Oh, I am afraid I cannot do that quite yet, you see, until I gain enough power, I would only be able to take on the body of a dead host, so unless you would like to volunteer, I would like you to complete this little undertaking" _Eruka swore if Medusa had hands, she would be drumming her fingers against eachother right about now.

"F-fine then, what is it?" Eruka attempted to sound stern, but it just made her appear all the more cowardly.

_"I have my eye on a new test subject. Do you know about how the Kishin was defeated? It was defeated by the drive of a Grigori soul wavelength inside of it. Even though it was simply the straw that broke the camel's back, I would like to register it through further investigation."_

"So you want us to find the girl who did it?" Free spoke up.

_"Not quite. Yes I want you to locate her, though there is something that I want you to do." _Coiled up in the tip of her tail, she brought out for them to see, a small, irregularly shaped object. It appeared to be a small, black and golden capsule no more than 2 centimeters in length. The snake dropped it into the witch's hands, allowing her to observe it in a fearful curiosity. _"I want you to insert this into the girl's body."_

"Insert?" Free asked, "Like, making her swallow it?"

_"If she is idiot enough to swallow down something so large." _She hissed, announcing the mans idiocy, _"Do what you may, just get it inside of her, preferably one of her main blood vessels, but do not kill her. Feel free to get rid of anyone else, however, leave at least one other person unharmed. We need her to be kept alive. Once it has released it's contents in her bloodstream, your mission is complete, and I will remove one snake from each of you."_

Eruka and Free exchanged nervous glances, coming to a consensus between the two. It was obvious they didn't want to do it, however, it was for both of their greater good. Eruka sighed. "We will do it…" She looked down at the ground. The snake let out a gleeful hiss. "Geko…"

"Wait, just tell us one more thing, snake!" Free stepped up towards the tree, staring the lizard down, "What exactly is in that capsule?" Medusa stared at his obviously suspicious expression, it seemed to push her back, though she forced herself to remain unfazed.

_"Heheh…" _She chuckled, _"A couple of my snakes, of course!"_

She watched Eruka shudder, looking down at the capsule with a look of uncertainty, suddenly becoming incredibly uncomfortable with the fact that it was resting on her hands. _"Now then, we will proceed back to my home, please catch me up on everything I missed!" _She chimed, dropping herself from the tree and slithering in the direction of her home castle. Free and Eruka followed nervously. They were once again puppets. They were no longer freed.

"Ready?" Eruka whispered as they slowly approached their targets. They were making an extreme amount of racket, shouting and crashing, putting down whatever beast lay in front of them. Free and Eruka's soul protect kept them hidden for now as they slowly snuck around, making their way towards the pair. Eventually, with one last battle cry, their victim was put down, a swirling mass of magic appeared as the body of the hunted became a glowing red soul. The scythe in the young girl's hands glowed brightly before transforming into a person. He walked up to the soul that was hovering a few feet in the air before grabbing it and showing it off to his meister. That was their first cue. Free started to depart from his original stance, moving further towards the scythe.

"Right!" He announced out gleefully, "This is number 75! We are three quarters of the way through!"

"Finally!" The meister stretched her arms up, letting out a slight yawn. "Soon we'll finally make a death scythe!"

"Yeah!" He grinned, tilting his head back and pushing the soul into his gaping jaws, swallowing it down with a slight huff. "Now then, we should probably start getting back, we're late as it is."

"Yah, I told Crona that we'd be home by 11, and it's a quarter to already," Suddenly some movement caught her eye as Free positioned himself to pounce. The two froze, both of them sensing something was wrong.

"Wol, wol…wolves, Wolves!" Free shouted, lifting two of his finger upwards suddenly, his eye glowing in his wolf-form's head.

"Sou-" The meister was cut off as three icy pillars shot out of the ground, separating them. Free pounced out on one side, blocking the scythe's attack on the ice with his own body and pushing him backwards sharply with his tail, a snarl growing from his lips. The young boy hit the ground hard, gasping and picking himself back up to stare at the opponent in front of him.

"Dammit," He hissed, his eyes flaring at the immortal as a long wound on his side, delivered from the scythe, sizzled as it worked itself into being repaired.

"Come at me, _boy_!" He growled, a smile on his face in an attempt to stir up anger in the young weapon. On the other side of the ice wall, Maka ran towards it, trying her hardest to transform her hand into her own scythe, though under-practiced, it ended up in failure. This was when Eruka stopped in front of her, her knife drawn in her attempt to strike up fear. The young girl's hand still glowed a bright white in her attempt to transform, though it was too late. Eruka swung her knife down at the girl. She noticed it, jumping out of the way, and resorting to her knowledge of physical hand-on-hand combat, jumped back to deliver a sharp kick to the witch's head. Eruka stood up, dazed, but shook it off, and charged at her, fear still rippling through her face. This girl she was facing now was the girl who defeated the Kishin.

Despite the stakes, Eruka still resorted to using her knife. She didn't want any other meisters or weapons in the area to know of a witch in the city if they didn't need to. She needed to keep her soul protect on and her magic concealed. She swiped again with the blade, this time it grazed across the meister's cheek, sending a small squirt of blood into the air. She gasped and brought her hand to her face, her opposite hand glowing once more in an attempt to transform. She was becoming frustrated, and Eruka could tell. On the other side of the icy barrier, her weapon partner struggled helplessly against the immortal. Without a meister, he wouldn't be able to defeat the wolf man, and without her weapon, Maka surely couldn't take on a witch. Her breath was starting to pick up, her heart starting to beat quickly. She needed to get away, but she couldn't leave without Soul. She needed to find some way to fight…

She swung around and hit Eruka hard in the stomach. She flew backwards but quickly pulled herself back up. She had no choice now… She needed to complete this! "Soul protect, release!" She shouted out. Maka was hit suddenly with her wavelength, causing her to flinch. Wrong move. Eruka found her way to behind the meister and swung her hand at her back, charged up with magic. Without enough time to spin around, Maka went flying forwards, hitting the brick wall of the building in front of her. The frog witch approached her quickly, strapping her down to the ground with her soul force, sending another wave rippling through her. Maka had barley any time to react, and the time that she had, she spent catching her breath.

She forced herself upright, preparing to fight only to be thrown down by the feeling of the knife's blade tearing through her skin. Starting near her neck, on her left shoulder, the weapon was dragged through her flesh until it fell out underneath her left arm. The wound spewed out a thick scarlet liquid as she fell to the ground, gasping in pain. "Geko, geko, gekkoi!" She drove one last soul force into her, materializing small straps around her wrists and ankles, tying her weakened body to the ground. Eruka gulped as she tore the girl's clothes where she had cut, giving her a clear access to her wound.

Suddenly, the pigtailed Meister howled out, screaming at the top of her lungs in pain Eruka quickly slapped her bloodied hand over her mouth in an attempt to silence her. "Maka!" She heard the scythe call out in fear. She grabbed her knife from where she set it on the ground, a small puddle of red accumulating around where she kneeled. She felt ill. She didn't want to do this, but she had to. She brought her knife up to the girl's swollen skin, the blood pooling inside the cavities in her ripped flesh and making it tricky to find what she was looking for. The meister squirmed and squealed as she used the blade to push the excess tissue out of the way, both of their faces becoming very pale, Maka's muffled screams still erupting from her convulsing body.

She needed to find that vein! The vein that connected her arm to the rest of her body, where was it?! She prayed that she hadn't cut it. If she had, she had pretty much already killed her. She would bleed out soon anyways. And bleed she did. It was all over the ground, all over her clothes, all over the witch's clothes, before finally she found the vein. She swallowed hard in her disgust, her hands trembling and her stomach swirling as she located it, tucked up against what appeared to be her bone. She swallowed hard, balancing the capsule on the tip of her blade before she drove it into her, a new amount of the hideous red liquid flying out at her as she removed her knife, releasing the meister and watching as she curled up into a ball, gripping onto her wound and crying out. She looked truly pathetic.

"Free-" Eruka tried to shout but it came out in no more than a whisper. "Free!" She tried again. The immortal spun around at her call and broke through the ice barrier, scooping her up to ride on his back and ran as fast as he could away from the two.

"Eruka! Did you do it?" He looked up at her as he ran, "Oh my gods, you look so pale! You're covered in blood!"

"It's nothing!" She mumbled, feeling her stomach clench in her horrible memories left just a few meters behind.

"Dammit, it was too much! Wait 'till I get my hands on that stupid snake!" He growled. Eruka couldn't answer. She simply stared forwards, an unmoving expression of terror on her face. What kind of cruel act had she just committed? Sure, she was a filthy Shibusen dog, but the way she looked at her, those huge green eyes filled with terror and pleading… this wasn't what Eruka did to those filthy animals. She put them down, swift and fast. She didn't torture them; and what she just saw in the meister's eyes would leave a stain in her memory for a very, very long time.

The frog witch's arms trembled as she made her way down the twisted and demonic corridors of the snake's abnormal castle. Her two pointer fingers rested against eachother as she stared at the ground. She knew it was never for a good thing when she is summoned to see Medusa. She shuddered as she came face to face with the opening that led out to the snake witch's position. She sat on a large, floating, green and purple block in the center of the room, damaged from previous battles. She was propped up on a small cushion, her eyes fixed on a large crystal ball, images dancing about on them. It was from the eyes of the young girl she had attacked the day before.

Eruka knew the rules. She sighed and transformed down into a frog, hopping up towards the snake positioned in the center of the room. Hearing her tiny feet slap the marble, Medusa slowly turned around to greet her. She shook, staring into the yellow, crystal eyes of the lizard in front of her. She swallowed hard.

"Y-y-y-you called for me, M-M-Medusa-Sama?" She stuttered, her entire body shaking.

_"Oh, yes, hello Eruka,"_ She grinned a devilish grin, _"I thank you for returning to your animal form before coming in here, it makes me feel much better." _Her mouth opened slightly, showing off the large gathering of gums that concealed her tucked back fangs. The frog witch gulped. _"However, I see that you may have looked over a tiny detail, and that kind of irks me." _Her smile disappeared as she closed her mouth, slithering closer to the frog, dwarfed in the snake's surpassing height.

"I-I did?" She forced a smile, a small bead of sweat falling down her face.

_"When you were catching me up on everything that I missed, I noticed that you may have left something out, something fairly crucial, something that, well, could just mess up all of my plans, and something I could have sworn I should've been told first!" _She let out a forced laugh, hysterical in her frustration, lowering her head back down.

"Medusa-Sama?" Eruka looked at her in concern.

The snake suddenly shot up, her eyes on fire and her mouth wide open, revealing two enormous, venom licked fangs. _"You ignorant little bastard! Did it ever cross you mind that I might want to know that my son is still alive?!" _She spat in rage.

"Medusa-Sama!" Eruka shrieked, "I-I-I'm sorry! I-"

_"I do not want to hear your excuses! You do realize that this puts all of my plans to a halt!? You really think that he didn't matter!? It is because of him that I changed targets! Finding him alive now, I may just have to bring him back here just to kill him again! Do you know how long that takes to set up!?" _She barked out in fury at the small frog, causing her to rush away in fear, letting out a tin squeal as she fled towards the door. Medusa reared back, Her eyes locked onto the frog before flinging herself forwards, her mouth wide open as she flew across the break in the two cubes, snatching out the frog in her mouth and holding her suspended in the air, her teeth bared, but at an angle that they wouldn't sink into the frog's flesh.

"I'm so sorry!" She cried out, trembling in absolute terror.

_"You best be lucky I still have a job for you, otherwise you would already be swallowed and dead!" _Medusa hissed to her.

"What is going on in he-" Free was cut off when he saw Eruka caught up in Medusa's jaws. The wolf man and the snake made eye contact, staring for a moment before Free wandered up to her. "Medusa, I'd like to ask you to please spit out the frog."

_"You do not scare me, wolf man! This is her punishment, now back off!" _She flared her eyes at him before he walked over, reaching up to take the frog from her mouth only for Medusa to pull herself backwards, baring her teeth further in a threat to sink them into the amphibian's flesh.

"H-H-H-HELP ME FREE!" She shouted in terror. Free held out his hand, as if waiting for a stubborn dog to return the ball to his owner. Medusa spat her out, letting her fall onto the stone floor with a thud. Terrified, the frog witch bounced up onto Free's shoulder, trembling.

_"Do not think you are relieved from punishment, Free," _She hissed over top of the smaller witch's whimpering, _"Both of your ignorance has devastated my plans. I will have to move on with an entirely different plan, thanks to you…"_

Free stood up, making his way out of the room to attempt to calm down the tiny frog. Medusa watched him go, frustration still ringing in her amber gaze. Once he was no longer visible to her, she spoke again. _"For now," _She turned back to watch the crystal ball, _"We watch."_

She was fine with this at the moment. It would appear that she had picked a great target in the end. Even though her puppets' ignorance ended up in an entire switch of plan, this may just be better than her previous idea. Oh, what an intriguing predicament, this all is. She wants to get some snakes back inside of Crona. This girl was so incredibly close to her son, there has got to be some way that she can lure him into some kind of trap, to get some snakes inside of him. Then she could further manipulate him with the black blood madness, drawing him back to her. The black blood research could continue. It was easy.

One more thing that she could use to her advantage: he would do absolutely anything for this girl. If she threatened to kill her if he didn't become a Kishin, he would become a Kishin. Oh, so many different paths! Witch plan would be the best to execute? Witch one would be the best to push him further into the black blood madness?

Should she kill her?

No.

Not yet at least. She still needs the girl. She still needs to know how effected by eachother these two are. There is one more thing at work here: The Grigori Soul. They are incredibly dangerous against the witches. If Medusa was caught in this form, even the simplest attack from a Grigori soul could take her down. This girl was dangerous. She couldn't allow her presence to be known until this girl has been dealt with. Whether that is kidnapped or killed, she must be out of the question before Medusa reveals herself.

One more thing: She needed a new body. One that would support her in case she is discovered ahead of plans. She needed a dead body. One recently dead, but with power. Her sister Arachne was an obvious choice, if she could have brought her down, she could trap her soul and use her body. However, word of her sister's death had echoed throughout every party, the fall of Arachnophobia showing a new wave of hope for the filthy Shibusen rats. Arachne had been dead too long, and even if she hadn't, her body was gone. In one last desperate attempt to survive, she had scattered he spiders, though it was too late. Her body was gone, her soul was gone, and Medusa's key chance of a new body was gone. What now?

Perhaps one of those Shibusen death scythes. As she was aware, a female death scythe with extreme power still remained at the Shibusen, having reapplied to being a teacher at the school. Oh yes, that one. The one who had replaced her. The one who had replaced her as her son's mother, the one who had replaced her as her lover's wife, and oh, how sweet irony could prevail in this.

But she can't. She cannot risk having two more capsules delivered, it would be too risky; and to attempt to place her snakes inside of the Demon Sword would lead in a death for one, if it's possible, both of her puppets. She couldn't risk it. How? How was she going to execute all of this?

Maybe, the girl would do anything for Crona? No. She wouldn't do these things. She wouldn't betray her friends to save one of them, as horrible as it sounds. She was too strong. She needed to be dealt with soon. But how? So many conflicting ideas… Oh, why had they not told her that Crona was still alive? She would have had so much more time and resources to complete this all now instead of just sitting back and waiting for now!

But that is how she is going to do it. She is going to sit back and wait, she is going to watch everything play out. Patience was the key. The more time the girl spent with him, the less time Medusa would have to wait. But still, she waited.

All through the week she waited, until finally, an opening presented itself. Oh, pitiful fools. They would have never guessed. Who would of though such a simple act of care could lead to both of their ultimate demise? One small kiss, a quick embarrassing act at a party after being caught under the mistletoe… the perfect opportunity for her to get some snakes inside of Crona without him even knowing.

Juvenile child, so unaware. She chuckled as she left her crystal ball. She had done it. Who would have known such a horrible coincidence would post itself in front of the two. It was just what she needed. The perfect opening for her return to power. She knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to use Crona's weaknesses against him. She was going to use the girl. Let them bond. Let them grow close. Then, tear them apart.

_"Crona, you will become a Kishin… And I know exactly how I'm going to make you one."_

What a week. It seems to have gone on forever, but he was perfectly fine with that. He had enjoyed it. The holidays had been something that he had never truly experienced before, never even thought of before. Who would have thought? Happiness had settled into his mind, warming his heart and allowing him to sit with a smile on his face. His arms and legs rested loosely on his bed. He had not a care in the world. He did regret something, though. He regretted how little time he had spent with her. He had a whole four days to themselves, but he didn't do as much as he wanted to. He couldn't complain too much, though. She had dragged him out pretty much everywhere she went, whether it be to the mall or to the Shibusen, he would follow. They had a good time together, a time to truly celebrate the holidays.

He remembered how he had loosened up. He didn't think he could do anything of the sort, but with her lead, he did. Playing games with strangers down the ice, throwing snowballs and building snowmen, simple winter activities, but who knew they could bring him so much joy. He smiled in remembrance of their snowball fight. A few strangers had started it in the middle of the street, throwing snowballs at passerby's until they would finally throw snowballs back. Eventually, the entire prank turned into one big war, teams forming on either side of the road. Whatever side you were walking on was the side you were fighting with. Crona had gotten pummeled with snowballs, he would admit it, but it was still quite fun to make and throw snowballs, hide behind snow forts, and even invite familiar faces to their team.

He remembered their Christmas dinner. Kid had invited them and a couple more of his friends over to have a Christmas diner at his house, those of his friends who hadn't gone back to their families. There had been a lot of food. Ragnarok was quite happy with the enormous amount of food, but in the end, Crona had to turn down a desert because of how much he had stuffed himself. Such a shame. The desert had looked and smelled so good, but he was sure that if he ate anything more, he was going to be sick that night. There was turkey and mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, and cranberry sauce, stuffing, and more. It was the largest dinner he had ever had. After the dinner, they stayed for a party, where they played games and watched Christmas movies before heading back home.

He remembered how they had gone out together to deathbucks to get a small snack and a warm drink after a long day of being out and about, buying all of the ingredients she needed to make her contribution to Kid's dinner, the pre-meal salad. They had bags in their hands from all of the ingredients needed, almost all of their money for the month gone. However, that simple fact didn't stop them from stopping for one last thing. Crona ordered his favorite kind of tea, sipping it in the cool of the night beside his best friend, the perfect way to spend some time.

Soul was back from his time at home. He had come back 2 days ago, putting the brilliant bonding time he and Maka had together to an end. By the time he had come back, Maka's arm no longer needed her sling. Though still bandaged up, her arm was finally free once more. She spent some time in an extracurricular assignment, supervised by Prof. Stein, practicing her wielding techniques with Soul in an attempt to regain strength to her arm. Crona tagged along, a pressing question on his mind for the professor. He waited until they were well on their way dueling the air, paying no attention to the two watchers.

"P-Prof. Stein?" Crona asked.

"Hmm?" Stein looked over at him with curiosity.

"I've been thinking for a little while, do you think Maka should be training as a scythe as well as a meister?"

"Your asking if she should start looking for a meister?"

"I-I don't know, it's just something that, um, p-popped into my head,"

"You just said that you had been thinking about it for a while." He paused, staring at the swordsman, "Are you wanting to try to become her meister?"

"W-W-Well, I wasn't, I don't really know…"

"Don't worry, I've been thinking about it for a while now too. And if she is ever faced with a situation like the one before the break, it would be important to know."

"So, d-do you think I'd b-be a good choice to be her meister?" He asked sheepishly, causing the professor to pause.

"That's the tricky thing, Crona." He looked back to the two as they trained, "You and Maka have incredibly balanced souls with eachother. You can resonate very well, and you know each other's wavelengths. However, there is something fairly risky about partnering you two up. In order to wield a human weapon, you must be able to match your entire soul wavelength to hers, and for you as a special case, you must also match Ragnarok's to both of yours, almost like Kid using both Liz and Patty. That's where we run into trouble. Maka and Ragnarok cannot resonate."

"Why not?"

"Because she is in the possession of a Grigori soul, witch is opposite in comparison to Ragnarok's demon soul. With his soul so attached to yours, your soul is also now referred to as a demon soul. Your souls will clash, and your resonance would be all over the place."

"Oh." Crona sighed. "I-Is there a way I could train so that w-wouldn't happen?"

"I do not believe so, it would be too risky for your souls to meet in that way for a first time."

"B-but what's the worst that can happen? It can't be that bad, could it?"

Stein paused. "A soul reject."

"As the worst? T-that's not too bad-"

"No, that is the least that will happen. If you resonate with her, you will go through a soul reject. The worst thing that could happen," He sighed, "I don't know if I should tell you."

"T-Tell me," Crona looked at him

"Your souls could tear each other's apart."

He remembered feeling his heart sink as he heard the words. In the end, he wouldn't make a death scythe. Maka would find another partner to train with, and her and Crona would grow apart once more.

He pushed it out of his head, searching around for more things that had happened.

He remembered the party. He remembered talking to Maka all the way through, giggling and chatting on and on. He remembered dancing with her. he remembered how embarrassed he was, how uncertain, but how she had shown him step by step what to do. He remembered having snacks with her. He remembered the secret Santa gift exchange, and how her eyes lit up when she saw what she had received. He remembered laughing.

He remembered the kiss.

He remembered how he had almost fainted from the shock of it, how his face lit up a bright red, how embarrassed he was, and how surprised he was. He remembered the touch of her lips. He remembered everything about her in that one small moment where they shared an embrace. His heart had twisted up in his chest, his mind racing and his heart beating so fast, he though it would beat right out of his chest. It made him realize something. It made him realize how much he really cared. Did she care back?

It hurt his heart. Did she actually love him back, or was it just the results of a silly prank? She doesn't love him back. She couldn't. She said it herself, she doesn't believe in love any more. He let out a long sigh, attempting to change his train of thoughts. In the end of all of his thinking sessions, he would always resort to the worst of areas and turn back to his poem writing. He'd used up quite a few pages in his notebook already. He peered over to it, turning his head back to look out the window, trying to fill his head with something.

He thought about her again. It was a dangerous obsession. He had been attached to it ever since that one little moment at the Christmas party all those days ago. He knew she cared for him, and he knew he cared for her, but he was scared. He was scared of losing her. She didn't believe in love. Her future is going to be filled with traveling all over the world, alone.

Alone.

Even if, in the end, she does believe in love, she has so many other choices other than him, people around her that she could very well fall for. Of course, her weapon partner Soul, she spent the majority of her time with him, training and talking and all of the sorts. Then, there is also Kid. He has been helping to support the four when their allowances run thin, he's very generous, and a good friend towards her as well. Then there is Black*Star. Though kind of conflicting, the fact that Maka has known Black*Star longer than she's known any of the others is a significant factor. Crona, on the other hand, was an intrusion. He saw it in his friends' eyes, that brief bit of unwelcoming before they cover it with a smiling mask. He didn't mean much to any of them. He didn't mean much to her, did he?

But he had a promise to her, and it was a promise he was going to keep. She was his to protect, and no matter what, he wouldn't let her fall from his arms. She was his angel, bringing him back from the dead, and now, he simply needed to return the favor.

A new plan. A brand new plan. A glorious, brilliant, incredible plan. That is exactly what she has conceived. It was a plan that simply couldn't fail. Not after all this time. It was a brilliant plan, one that could very likely set the gears of evolution driving forwards. One that could bring her son back to her, and drive the rest of the world mad. With the demon sword back in her grasp, she would be able to rid the world of that filthy Shibusen scum once and for all, bringing a new era to the witches, one where the black blood flows through the human's veins. She was going to be the ultimate scientist, and the entire world would be her experiment. No, rather, the entire world would be her playpen.

She let out a small cackle in delight before swinging her head around, her body uncoiling and sliding off her pillow. _"Eruka! Free!" _she bellowed, awaiting their reply. Soon enough, the two of them showed up near the door, peering their heads in.

"Yes, M-Medusa-Sama?" Eruka mumbled.

_"I am going out, take care of my home while I am gone."_

"Where are you going?" Free stepped forwards.

_"Oh, I just have a few errands I need to run. I'm off to go collect something from the Shibusen, something that they've taken from me." _She turned to her crystal ball, staring through the eyes of the young girl as she read a book, sitting alone in her room. _"I am coming back for the Demon Sword. You will not keep him from me for long, Shibusen scum. Now then, Maka Albarn, possessor of the Grigori soul, I fear the end is neigh for you. You are too dangerous to be kept alive any longer." _She reared up towards the crystal ball, the air around her becoming incredibly dense as glee shimmered in her yellow eyes. She brought her tail up, preparing herself. _"So long, Grigori. You are no longer needed for my experiments."_

She flicked her tail in command. Just like that, the meister's book was dropped. The vision through the crystal ball became fuzzy as the snake watched in demonic pleasure. The girl didn't make a sound, aside from brief, heavy breathing. She no longer needed to experiment on the girl. She had been used as a delivery woman to bring the snakes back to her son. And once more, Medusa dropped her tail down suddenly, the image tipping sideways before going completely black. Eruka and Free watched from the doorway, attempting to stifle their looks of terror. Medusa turned around, slithering her body quickly to move out the door, hissing at the two in her way.

_"I will be back." _She glared at them, _"Do not even think about leaving here." _At that, she slithered quickly down the hallway, making her way towards the exit.

Crona still sat in his bed, the sun now dipping down below the horizon. He paid little attention to it, still attempting to fill his head with good thoughts. What was there to think about? He had already gone through all of the good things that happened over the break. He had gone through the bad, too. Term started up in only a few more days, meaning he would get to spend less time once more with her. He sighed. Oh how he wished it could just be the two of them. They could be alone together forever. That's what would make him happy.

But it would never happen. Her words echoed in his head once more. "I don't believe in love." He clutched his legs close to his chest, resting his forehead on his knees and counting his breaths. In. Out. In. Out.

_"Crona…"_

A voice.

A voice spoke his name.

A voice from the back of his head. Great. He though he was done with all of those! He didn't know they could come back!

_"Crona. Are you listening?" _There it was again. The voice so eerie, so familiar, it filled his mind with terror and rattled his bones with fear. Where does he know that voice from? It was so hauntingly familiar, though something in his brain told him he didn't want to know that voice.

_"Know who I am. Know who you are." _He knew this voice all too well. _"You will soon find that I am the only one you can return to. You are a traitor and a burden to all that are around you. Come back to me and be greatly rewarded." _

Medusa-Sama?

He bean to tremble, his eyes stretched wide open, staring at nothing. No, he couldn't run back to her! He had friends around him! He had a life to live, a school to go to! Even if his friends saw him as a burden, he knew Maka wouldn't! He knew that she cared for him! He knew he could still lean on someone! He knew he could still stay here! He needed to object, but how? How does he object to his own mother?!

_"You believe you can stay here because of that one petty girl?" _He felt her evil speak ring through his ears. His teeth began to chatter and he felt sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. His arms felt heavy and his legs felt weak as he continued staring forwards.

_"Maka Albarn is dead."_


	5. Chapter 5: Gone

Chapter 5: Gone

His heart stopped briefly in his chest as he found himself paralyzed in fear. His eyes stood unmoving, his entire body tensed up as he observed his painfully loud heart beat, pulsating in his forehead and ringing in his ears. Trembling, he struggled to recall what had just happened. _Dead? No, it's just a trick, she cannot be dead, she can't!_ His breathing picked up rapidly to soon match his heartbeat, _But it has to be true! I heard her! No, it's not true! She's okay! I was hearing things!_

"Crona?" Ragnarok mumbled as he formed out of the swordsman's back. "Did you hear that too?"

His stomach dropped through the floor.

With widened eyes, he suddenly launched himself off of his bed, flying out of his room and skidding to find himself in front of Maka's door, his breath becoming audibly heavy as he raised his fist quickly. He slammed down on her door roughly, calling out her name with a shaky voice. Sweat was beading on his forehead, _Please answer! Please, oh please answer!_

"Crona?" Soul hurried towards where Crona stood, startled by the meister's sudden outburst, "Is everything okay? What's gotten into you?"

Crona couldn't answer, his throat was too dry, his mind too cluttered as he grabbed onto the door's handle and yanked on it violently. She wasn't responding. No, no, NO! He kicked the door in frustration.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Soul shouted.

"I heard h-her! In my head, through one of her s-s-snakes! It was Medusa! She said t-that Maka was dead, and n-now she won't answer!" He shouted in terror, swallowing down a lump in his throat as he felt himself begin to tear up. The Scythe suddenly looked at the door, a similar terror beginning to brew in his eyes.

"Oh my gods," It was barley a whisper, "Maka!" He slammed on the locked door with his fist, before taking a few steps back and throwing his shoulder against the brittle wood in an attempt to knock it down. Crona stood back, watching Soul's futile attempts to contact his possibly dead meister. The fear in his eyes only brought more terror into Crona's, as his entire body almost seemed to convulse with his excessive shaking. Suddenly, Soul took a step back, his lower arm glowing a bright white as it morphed into a black and red blade. He swung his arm backwards and sliced across the doorknob, snapping it and sending small pieces flying into the hallway. He threw himself against the door one last time, only for it to fall right open. Both of them rushed in, the swordsman bracing himself, knowing he could find Maka in any state, any horrible gruesome picture awaiting him on the other side, blood everywhere, torn apart… The worst possible images fell into his mind, causing his heart to sink like a stone. He followed Soul into the room, panting audibly and quickly taking in everything around him only to find…

Nothing.

She wasn't there.

Both of them stopped in confusion, their breathing following each other's as they continually scanned the room.

"What?" Soul's voice was weak, "She was here! I saw her go in here, and she didn't come back after that!"

Crona bit the inside of his lip, forcing back a cry of terror. Where was she? Had she been dragged out and slaughtered? Oh no! What if she had!? He hurried over to the window. It was locked from the inside. There was no sign of a murder, not even the smell of blood in the air. Yet, both the door and window were locked from inside of the room, and the meister was nowhere to be seen. Was this some kind of sick prank? He peered out the window, trying to find any more evidence of anything. He turned around to look at Soul who was still searching through her room, his eyes hungry for any sign of his stolen meister. He had never seen him like this. Never seen him so helpless, so scared. Even when their lives were in danger, he would still attempt to keep his cool but now, he was different. He was openly scared, openly weak.

His eyes had the same emotions as that of a lamb sent to the slaughter, that of a sheep before it's shears. It reminded him of the little one. It reminded him of himself.

Soul stopped, catching his breath and turning towards Crona, whose cheeks were now wet from his terror of the impending truth. "Okay," He took a breather, "Maybe she's not here! Maybe she went out without us noticing! She could be anywhere, right? She could've gone to the mall, or went over to the Shibusen…"

"So I was j-just hearing v-voices? W-w-was it just a really s-scary coincidence?" The swordsman shook. "N-no… t-that can't be r-r-right… R-Ragnarok heard it t-too!" He wiped more tears from his eyes. He didn't want to cry now, but he couldn't help himself.

"No, it's okay, she's going to be back, I know it!" Soul sounded desperate. "How about, we go and check the Shibusen? She sometimes goes out to the library there!" Crona nodded slowly as the two turned to leave. Soul was suddenly halted as something sharp dug into the bottom of his foot. "Ow!" He mumbled, looking down at what he had stepped on. Glass. Shattered shards of glass right near Maka's bed. This was evidence. This was evidence of something happening; and it made Crona feel sick.

Shakily, the weapon kneeled down to find the source of the glass from underneath her bed. He reached under and pulled out a crippled picture frame, and small remnants of a shredded up piece of paper. Soul continued to pull small pieces of the paper from under her bed, trying to put them together.

_Shojuaat._

Soul sighed and took a step back as Crona kneeled down to take his place, collecting the rest of the ripped up sheets of paper. What had torn it up? Who had broken it? And when? Crona never heard any sound coming from her room! Suddenly, a tiny bit of movement from under the bed caught his eye. Curious, he peered over to where he saw it, back in the furthest corner. It was too dark. Who was under there? No, what was under there?

"S-S-Soul?" Crona asked, shaking, "I-I think there's s-something moving down there!"

"What?" Soul turned suddenly, "Did they drag Maka under there?"

"I-I-I don't know! I-I-t's too dark!"

"One second," the weapon dashed out of the room towards the hall closet, reappearing only seconds later with a large flashlight in his hands. "Here!" He shouted. There was no telling what they would find. There was no telling what would happen after they found it. Crona took the flashlight with shaky hands, desperate to see what he had found. It was something. Or was it? Was he just seeing things? No. He smelt it. Oh, how he had grown to despise that scent. It was ugly, metallic, and bitter. The smell of blood.

He pointed his flashlight towards the far corner, wanting to close his eyes, but he knew he couldn't as his thumb fell over top of the "on" button. He pressed down, shining the light on the being underneath. As soon as his eyes fell apon it, his hear did the largest summersault he had ever felt.

He didn't get a very good look at it, considering it didn't stay where it was for long. From what he did see however, was an enormous, 4-meter black snake with three white eye imprints on it's face. It launched itself out at the two suddenly, crashing onto the ground in front of them and coiling back up in preparation to strike. The two jumped back, just in time to escape the creatures gaping, toxic jaws. Letting out a horrible, deafening hiss, it reared up, flaring it's illustrated eyeballs at them and allowing a thick, reddish-black liquid fall from it's mouth and on to the floor, strings of it connecting it's two jaws together, and small drops of it making it's way down it's neck.

They both stared at it, shaking and attempting to remain offensive. Ragnarok formed into a sword in Crona's hands as he prepared to fight. He took in the creatures horrifying appearance. It's black body was ringed with thing white lines, a small part of it over lapped by a metal rope, looking identical to the one around Ragnarok's sword form's fuller, as well as three strange metallic buckles around the snake's abdomen. It didn't look natural in the slightest. If anything, it seemed almost robotic, though from it's fluid movements, Crona could tell how real and alive it was.

Soul transformed his arm back into a scythe blade, swinging it suddenly at the snake. It hit the creature right on the neck, though delivered no damage, instead sent the pale-haired weapon shooting across the room. He hit the wall with a gross-sounding thud, coughing as he fell to the ground, a spew of red liquid falling from his mouth. Crona froze up at what he had just witnessed, backing up in fear as Soul picked himself off the ground.

"Shit…" Soul coughed, His hands beginning to tremble. "I-I can't fight it!" Crona spun around just in time to find it flying towards him, it's mouth wide open. In reaction, he swung Ragnarok up to guard, the snake closing his mouth on the sword's blade and pushing the swordsman to the ground. His back hit the ground hard, winding him as he brought his second arm up around the weapon's blade to push the creature back. Crona felt a disturbance in his bloodstream as Ragnarok let out a painful howl. Crona's eyes opened wide. He couldn't fight this thing! What was he going to do!? He shook as Ragnarok let out another painful scream, Crona's muscles slowly fading in strength as the creature's black venom fell from it's mouth and onto Crona's face. The snake's power was overwhelming, pushing his arms further down as they both clutched Ragnarok's blade, holding the creature back.

Crona's attention was caught suddenly by the swishing of the creature's tail. He hadn't seen it before, but on the end of its tail was a long metal blade, sharpened and barbed. His tail swung around and stabbed right into Crona's side, the barbs clinging onto his flesh as it drove itself further in. He cried out in pain, his black blood spraying out of his wound and falling onto the floor. "Ragnarok!" He screamed, "Harden my blood! Please!"

Ragnarok remained unresponsive, the venom beginning to numb his face and hands where it had fallen. Suddenly, a chair smacked into the creature, throwing him off of Crona and crashing his body onto the wall, it's tail still firmly lodged into Crona's side. The meister stood up quickly, backing away from the creature as it struggled under the chair. Soul stood in the doorway, panting and holding his arm, which looked like it had been burnt all the way through. Crona grasped onto the tail of the creature, bracing himself for the pain of removing it. He gave it one firm tug, his flesh tearing and blood spilling out of him, but the tail still remained caught inside of him. He winced and gave it one more pull, only for the same result. He gasped in pain as the creature pushed the chair off of itself and slithered back over to the meister, pulling him closer with it's tail.

"Ragnarok, c-can you hear me?" Crona lifted Ragnarok into the air. No response. Without thinking, he slammed the weapon down into the snake's tail, only to find himself thrown back towards the wall, the end of the snake's tail ripping it off as Ragnarok retreated into Crona's bloodstream. He hit the wall hard, feeling the wind get knocked out of him once more. "R-Ragnarok…" he whispered out… "What happened to you?" He looked up at the snake, witch was observing it's missing tail, black blood falling from the stump.

_Black blood!?_

"Crona! We need to get out of here!" Soul shouted, retreating out the door as the Snake's tail began to grow back. "We cannot defeat it! We need to get out of here!" Crona picked himself up shakily walking towards the door, only for the creature to turn towards the weapon. With his back turned, Soul couldn't have blocked. It pounced. Thinking fast, Crona forced Ragnarok's sword into his hand, slamming it down on the monster's neck. This time, instead of shooting him back, the sword slammed the snake onto the floor, not breaking the skin. Something was happening to him. Crona felt it. He was being consumed by it. This snake, this monster…

_Black blood, and a three eye marking?_

He was loosing it. No, keep it together, keep it together… block everything else out… just focus on getting Ragnarok back. Block out the world, block out Soul, block out the snake… _Block out Maka…_ He was loosing it. He couldn't help but feel a chuckle fall from his lips, a smile finding its way onto his face as his dilated pupils shrunk, revealing his cold, icy blue eyes.

He was alone in a room. No… it wasn't a room… it was more a sphere. It was surrounded by black. The sand was black, the sky was black, everything was black. It was the madness from the creature. No, block it out! Block it out! He wandered, taking in every last bit of the strange beach. The stones were all dyed black, the shells, everything. The sky was slowly dripping and oozing back down into the shrunken ocean. It seemed to be nothing more than a small pond now. He ran towards it. It was his only chance at being saved. He needed to get away from this horrible black! His feet were heavy, sets of three eyes staring at him from everywhere he could see. With every step he took, the water seemed farther and farther away, as if the sphere was growing underneath him. He needed to find his way to the water… he needed to…

"Hello." A small, familiar voice echoed through the barren waste land. Crona skidded to a stop, his heart racing and his mind poisoned. He waited for a response, panting.

"Who's there!?" he shouted when there was no response.

"You are." It spoke, wrapping its fingers through the back of Crona's hair. Crona spun around, finding himself dwarfed in his miniature form in comparison to a tall, scrawny, pitch black figure. It looked just like him. Every aspect of him… except for the face. Where Crona's eyes and nose should have been, there were three vertical eye markings, staring down at him. A huge grin spread across the apparition's face, revealing two enormous, sharp canines, those of a snake. He opened his mouth and lunged towards Crona, who was frozen in the spot. Before he knew it, his shadow had closed it's enormous jaws over top of his face. It pulled back, tearing the flesh with such a force that one would think he was tearing paper. Crona screamed, his small body's face stretching as his shadow started to walk away with it.

He blinked open his eyes to find himself in the same spot, his body shaking and his hands over his head. Suddenly, he realized he was okay. His shadow still remained towering over him, the three eyes still staring back at him. "So that's how you see me," It spoke. "Do you want to see what I really am?" It cooed. Crona gulped, trembling and preparing to make a mad dash. "What if I lead you to the water?" it cocked its head. Crona looked up at it, it's jet black hand reaching out for his. The swordsman knew it was a trick, yet he still reached up his hand, holding that of his shadow's and walking beside him as they walked towards the water.

It was not until Crona was at the water that he noticed it's colour. For some reason, it had looked blue all the way here, yet it now looked thick and red. He gasped, taking a step back and shaking. "What's wrong?" The shadow asked, "This is where you wanted to go, wasn't it?" It looked incredibly unhappy at Crona's fear. Suddenly, it's mood changed. It swung towards him and shouted, "I lead you to where you want to go, and you still fear me! Stop fearing me! I am not anything to be feared! I am your friend! I am your family! I am all you have left! Suck it up and accept me!" It's voice began to sound metallic, echoing in a horrible static-like way. "Damn you, I don't need you! But you need me! What the hell am I supposed to do with you!?" He suddenly picked the tiny, frightened swordsman up by his neck, holding him up above the water.

Crona struggled, kicking his legs and grasping onto the shadow's arm. "I'm sorry!" He cried out in terror, tears falling down his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" His screams echoed through the dry air as tears continued to fall down his face. He was suddenly thrown to the side, his small body hitting the rough, sandy ground hard. He coughed in the relief of his reopened airway, only to stare back up at the shadow.

"Fine then, you'll jump into the pool yourself!" A huge grin was spread across its face, however transparent tears fell down from its three eyes. Suddenly, it tensed up, it's mouth opened wide, looking as if it was about to retch. It grasped onto it's throat, not a breath entered or exited. The tears slowly became blood as something came up it's throat. Crona watched in horror, his mind rattled from what he was seeing in front of him. Suddenly, the black-blooded snake tore it's way from his shadow's mouth, dragging along it's face as his entire body emerged. The shadow slowly morphed gruesomely into the monster as it reared up towards the tiny Crona, the black acid dripping from it's mouth. "Get in the water!" It cried out, misery and pain ringing in ever aspect of it's voice. "Get in the water!" It began to sob.

Crona stood up, running as fast as he could, screaming and crying in terror as the beast chased him. Not watching where he was going, his heart suddenly lurched as he found himself off of a cliff and hurtling towards the red water below him. He was swallowed up in it. It was horrible. The situation was getting more and more hopeless as he went, slowly falling into his madness. What was this!? He opened his eyes only to find three vertical ones staring right back at him. He tried to scream, only to swallow in some of the horrible red liquid.

Blood.

Red Blood.

He closed his eyes and curled up into a ball. He was going to die, wasn't he? Suddenly he felt a hand grab his collar, pulling him up and out from the blood. He felt himself touch the air, his instincts forcing him to take a large breath. The air tasted bitter, but it was air.

"Oh no you don't, you're not dying on me! A familiar voice shouted at him. _Ragnarok?_ He shook as he coughed out the horrible ingested liquid and looked up at the one holding him. He couldn't see him, he could only feel him. "Come on, let's go beat that snake!" He shouted.

Crona's eyes flew open suddenly as he found himself back inside of Maka's bedroom. He shook his head several times, readjusting himself with his surroundings. Some horrible battle had taken place while he was asleep, hadn't it? The snake had been thrown around, leaving dents in the wall. Maka's desk had been thrown on it's side and it's contents had been flung all across the floor. The snake was battered, but not ready to give up yet. Now Crona had Ragnarok back, he could beat him! Soul on the other hand was staring at the swordsman, his eyes wide in confusion and fright. He was afraid of him? Had Crona really lost it?

Ragnarok materialized in Crona's hand. "Finally, you're back!" He shouted, angrily, "Leave it to me to save your ass, but next time, don't put me into the goddamn black-blood paralyzing venom!"

"S-Sorry, I didn't know what it did!" Crona mumbled.

"Well you shouldn't be putting me in the thing's mouth anyways!" He shouted. As the snake began to rear back in preparation for a pounce.

"Ragnarok," Crona mumbled, noticing the Snake's movement.

"Gopee!" Ragnarok smirked. Suddenly, the sword let out a horrible, ear splitting screech, causing the entire blade to vibrate.

"Scream resonance!" Crona called out, adding his own screech to the mass. The snake began to rear back at the sound, wincing as Crona rushed towards it, his sword bared. He lifted it up with both of his arms and swung down on the creature's neck with all of his might. It slammed into the creature's flesh, slowly beginning to dig into it as the vibration continued. Suddenly, the snake brought it's tail up and slammed it into the blade, shoving him off of the creature. Crona flew backwards a few feet, the sound of smashing glass echoing into the night. He pushed himself to attack once more, only to find that the snake was gone, a huge hole in Maka's window.

Silence.

Crona stood there, panting as he clutched his side where he had been stabbed. His racing heart slowly started to settle as he fell to the ground. His mind was racing. What had just happened? What was that thing? Why had it attacked him?

Where was Maka?

"Come on," He heard Soul's voice from the doorway, "We need to tell Shinigami-Sama about this."

_"Are you okay?" She asked, staring him in the eyes. So much tenderness, so much warmth. He lifted his head up, wiping away the tears falling from his eyes._

_"Y-yah," He sniffed, turning away. His body shook as he forced back more tears._

_"It was only a bad dream," She whispered, wiping the tears off his face. "You've been getting them quite a lot, I'm sorry." She looked down, pulling the covers back over him as he trembled. "It's going to be okay." She smiled._

_Her smile is what made him happy. Seeing that smile is what made everything better. She stood up and started to walk away._

_"W-wait!" He grabbed her hand, a blush coming onto his face as she turned around to see him. He let go of her, pulling his arm back towards him and looking away. "I-I-I don't want you to g-go…" He whispered, "I-In my dream, you went away and I-I, I never saw you again… I don't want you to leave…" His voice was nothing more than a whisper. She walked back over to him, sitting down on his bed and pulling him close._

_"I'll never leave you, Crona," She smiled._

_"Promise?" He looked up at her, his eyes wet._

_"I promise." She smiled._

_There was a pause. A sweet, comforting silence._

_"When the world was young and wishes were new," Maka began to sing a quiet lullaby, "A single star so sweetly grew."_

_Hold out your hand and play with me,_

_The ground's covered with flowers._

_Even if the rain may make a sea,_

_The life will hold it's power!_

_When the paths on the road are seldom free_

_Do not dread or fear,_

_Follow the one leading to me_

_And I will always be near._

_So dream on, dream on, see the world beyond the sky_

_Find yourself in a place not far,_

_So dance on, dance on, see the truth in every lie,_

_And find that you're not the only star._

_Even when we're far away,_

_Do not mourn or cry._

_You're in my heart and here to stay._

_So come and find my lullaby._

_She stopped. A single tear rolling down her cheek as the room fell back into silence._

_"That was beautiful," Crona whispered._

_"It was a lullaby my mother and I wrote together. Whenever I had a bad dream, we would sing it together." She sighed._

_Crona smiled. "I could hear her," He nuzzled up closer to her, "I could hear her in your words."_

_"I could too." She whispered, another tear falling down her cheek as the two sat in silence. Outside the window, the moon shone bright, it's teeth bare and clean. No blood had been shed that night. Right beside it, a single star twinkled in the deep navy sky._

He shifted nervously, his hands shaking as he remained seated on the cold ground. As soon as anyone walks out that door, he would know. He would know if his life was over or not. He would know if he still had something to live for. He shook, pulling his knees close to his chest, swallowing hard. What if she hadn't made it? What if they couldn't find her soul? BJ's machine would be able to scan for souls all over the world, and if they couldn't find her soul in this scanning…

He shuddered, his mind slowly breaking into tiny pieces. No, they would find her. They would find her and go get her. She was going to be okay, it was all going to be okay. She couldn't be hurt, it's not possible. The room was locked from the inside!

Noticing his discomfort, the teacher beside him tightened her grip on his shoulder, pulling him closer. He let out a tiny whimper. "It's okay," Miss. Marie whispered to him. "Everything's okay." Crona had a hard time believing her. How could he believe her? His best friend was missing, and it was all his stupid mother's fault! She could be dead, and it's all because of her! _What did I do?_ He though to himself. It all came down to this. Soon…

_Oh please, oh please, let her be all right! Let her be all right! No, she's going to be okay, everything was going to be okay. I swear when this is all over, I'm going to slaughter that witch! I'm going to kill her with my bare hands!_ He tensed up further at his own thoughts. _No… Not slaughter… I will put her down, not slaughter…_ Oh please oh please oh please…

The door opened suddenly, causing Crona to jump. He looked up at the door to the death room, eyeing down Prof. Stein. This was it. This was the moment. Whatever Stein said now… The swordsman stood up, staring into the Professor's eyes, Soul, who had been pacing, did the same. His expression was hidden by the glare in his glasses.

"P-Professor?" Crona stuttered, "D-d-did you find her?"

Stein looked right through him. No expression. No expression…

Crona could hear Soul's breath begin to pick up. He's hesitating… why is he hesitating? Why can't he just say that she's okay? Why can't he just get it over with and put an end to Crona's pain!? Why is he torturing him!? It's been almost 10 hours since she disappeared, just say that she's alive and start gathering a group to retrieve her!

The patchwork doctor took a long sigh, straightening his glasses. Miss. Marie stood up, looking between the two. Soon enough, three sets of terrified, anxious eyes stared into Stein, burning holes right through him.

"I have some news for you," He said softly, "And it may not be easy to take." That's all he had to say. He took a deep breath to continue, but remained silent. Soul looked at him, his eyes wide with shock and sadness. Though he tried to mask it, it was no use. He backed up slightly, touching his hand to the wall behind him and sliding down to rest on the floor. He wouldn't cry, not now, not in front of everyone.

Stein turned to Crona, the glare falling off of one of his lenses, showing his eye. It was full of sentiment and pity for the young swordsman. Crona stood in place. He wasn't going to move. He couldn't. He felt nothing. No fear, no happiness, no sadness, no shock. He felt limp, yet was stiffened to the rigidness of a statue, his eyes wide open with terror and sadness. It wasn't real. This entire scene wasn't real. He knew it. He felt it. He had been through this nightmare hundreds of times before. Soon enough, he was going to wake up in his bed to the sound of his alarm. He would walk into the kitchen and Find Maka making breakfast. She would greet him with a smile, and he would greet her back. He would be happy.

They would go to school together, walking through the small amount of snow, her and Soul chatting on while Crona remained fixated in his memories. She would wave goodbye to him as he walks towards her locker, giving him a smile. He would keep her smile in his brain, keep the image in his mind as he wandered off alone. He would meet back up with her in class and they would talk to eachother, sharing the basic chit-chat of the day before the teacher came in. They would spend the school day sitting next to eachother, throwing eachother quick smiles whenever they needed it. They would come back home and work on their homework together. Then, they would both pick up their books and begin to read. They would sit beside eachother, their hands in each other's as they wind down from the long day.

He knew that if he woke from this nightmare with a start, she would be there for him. She would sing him her lullaby, tell him that it's going to be okay, and that she will never leave him. All he has to do is wake up. When he wakes up, she'll be there. He knows it. He knows it…

He knows it…

"Crona?" Miss. Marie looked at him, coming closer as Stein made his way over to Soul, touching his shoulder in comfort. The blonde haired teacher took a few steps forwards, preparing to comfort him. He tried to deny it. No, he was asleep! This was all just a dream! Nothing more, just a dream! His heart was tied up in a knot, his throat aching as he felt his eyes itch. His stomach was rocking back and forth, he thought he would be sick.

It hit him so suddenly. It felt like he had been slammed over the head with a hammer. His legs could not longer support him, so he simply fell to the ground, his vision blurring and his mind going fuzzy. "Crona!" Miss Marie shouted as she hurried to catch him. She sat him down as he clung to her shirt, his eyes wide and his breath quickening, causing his body to shudder and convulse. She was gone. He had nothing left to live for. His angel had been taken back to heaven. A demon like him would never see her again. Not in life, not in the afterlife. Tears fell from his unmoving eyes, quickly falling over his cheeks as he began to whimper in her arms.

"Is she gone!?" He whispered out hoarsely, his voice cracking, "D-did I loose her!? Did I loose her!? D-did I lose her!?" He started to feel delirious, his mind starting to shut down as a sharp, aching pain stabbed into his heart. Miss. Marie held him close, trying to calm him down. It was over. He had nothing. The only one he could really deal with, the only one who ever loved him or cared about him was gone. "Did I loose her?" This time it was inaudible.

_"Would you like to be my friend, Crona?" _

He shoved the teacher away, running through the hallways with tears streaming down his eyes. He let out a long call of distress, trying to find his way as far from everyone as possible. He didn't want to be near anyone anymore, but everywhere, every little place in the school he had been with Maka. Every single hall held a memory. Everything…

She was gone… she was his everything, the only thing he lived for, and he made a promise to her. He promised her that he would protect her, that he would repay her for saving him, that he would save her from anything that tried to hurt her… and now, she had slipped away. There was nothing else to do. She was gone forever. The girl he had loved so much, the girl who he wanted to spend the rest of eternity with… the girl that he wished to make her life perfect… a long and happy life, filling up her dreams, traveling the world… He was going to make her believe in love. He wanted to be her meister, He wanted to travel the world with her, he wanted to tell he that he loved her. He just wanted to tell her that he loved her.

And he wanted to know if she loved him.

He collapsed onto his knees, stopping in the middle of some stairwell. He sobbed, crying out and tilting his head back in distress as tears fell over his cheeks. There was nothing more he could do. He was helpless… yet still… he still felt like he would wake up tomorrow morning, and she would be there. He wants to forget about it… like he tried to all that time ago… but he couldn't. There had been too much… too much that they had been through. Why hadn't it been him? Why hadn't it been him that had died!? Maka didn't believe in love, she could've forgot about him and moved on with her life, living it out and dying an old woman while Crona kept a careful watch… She didn't need him to live.

He needed her to live. He needed her. Without her, life meant nothing. There was no use in continuing to walk down the paths of life. She was gone. He might as well be gone as well.

Time slipped through his fingers like sand. He didn't even notice how fast it was going. It had been a week already, and word of Maka's death had spread like wildfire. Crona had moved out of Soul's apartment, moving back to his lonely, cold, isolated cell back in the basement of the Shibusen. Soul, Spirit and himself were the most effected by the loss. Spirit spent all of his time drunk off his mind in an attempt to loose himself, and Soul was seldom ever found.

Crona didn't resume classes. He refused to leave his room. Miss. Marie would bring him food and drink, but he would never eat them. Ragnarok didn't talk to him very often afterwards. He would have never admitted it, but Crona could tell that he too was mourning.

_Crona wanted to kill himself_.

He couldn't deny the fact. But first, he needed to kill Medusa. _It's all the fault of that goddamn bitch that she's dead! If it weren't for her, Maka would still be alive! I could have been normal, Soul wouldn't have ever been hurt… I never would have hurt anyone…_

He felt it again… That horrible bubbling remorse… _It's all my fault… if I had never become friends with Maka, Medusa would have never victimized her! She would still be alive! Her life would go on as it should have!_ Crona winced, preparing to cry, but no tears came. He had cried himself dry. _The only one who ever loved me is not existent anymore. Her body is laying somewhere, unmoving and lifeless. She will never take another breath. Her heart will never beat every again. No sweet words will ever be said from her mouth again, nor sweet songs sung. _

_She would never smile for him ever again._

_He would never feel her warm arms around him, her reassuring words bringing him back from the dead…_

His eyelids were falling in on themselves. He hadn't slept all week. He had been to tired.

He had been to tired to sleep.

He had been to sad to cry.

He had been to hungry to eat.

He had been to lonely to die.

There was an enormous hole drilled through his heart. A hole that would never be fixed. A hole that could never be filled. Maybe, just maybe, if he killed Medusa, he could fill up an eighth of it. Perhaps, that would be enough to satisfy him. No. Would it satisfy him? He didn't know. He didn't feel anything any more. No matter what he tried to tell himself, revenge wouldn't bring back the dead. vengeance wouldn't be the answer. However, it would make him happy. It would make him happy to watch his mother writhe in pain as he showers her in all of the pain he had gone through because of her. All of the beatings. All of the experiments. All of the neglect. All of the solitude. All of the fear. And then, he finally found something he could call his own. He finally found something good in his life, and all of a sudden, it's gone.

_No, don't call her that. She is not my mother. She is nothing but a monster! She is a horrible twisted beast that doesn't deserve to live! But no… maybe she is my mother. For in a way, we are exactly the same. Disgusting. Homicidal. Ferocious. Animals._ Crona curled in on himself, closing his eyes. He felt so weak. His arms couldn't do anything, not to mention his legs. He didn't want to do anything.

_Doing nothing is the best thing to do._

Seclude yourself. Don't let yourself be seen by anyone. You have already ruined enough lives. That of course, includes your own.

_To tired to sleep._

_To sad to cry._

_To hungry to eat._

_To lonely to die._

_Even when we're far away,_

_Do not mourn or cry._

_You're in my heart and here to stay._

_So come and find my lullaby_.

He was alone.

All alone.

He was sitting there, where he always sat. Resting on an ocean-less beach. Once again, there was no water. Not a single drop. The entire world was bone dry. He was alone. Not even his shadow would talk to him. He had no one left. Nothing left to live for. So he simply sat and did nothing. Yes, doing nothing is the best thing to do. He picked up a small, dry branch and brought it over to where he was sitting. It seemed smaller than usual. Oh, yes. He had changed. In his soul, in his mind, he's no longer who he once was. He'd grown up. He's older now. He's older now because he has no one left to depend on. No one left to lean on.

Very soon, he's going to fall right over.

He stuck the end of the branch into the ground and began to drag it through the sand, drawing a circle. It had been so long since he'd done this. It hurt his mind, remembering that small child with his branch, dragging it through the sand to cut himself off from the rest of the world.

He didn't need the world. No, was that really it?

The world didn't need him.

Didn't want him. No one wanted him. He saw they way everyone looks at him. He heard the way everyone talked about him! They hated him! He was not a human. He was a demon. Unloved. Unwanted. No one cared for him and no one would want him near. He doesn't belong in this world. He doesn't belong anywhere. He's unneeded. The world would have been so much better if he had never been born. He wished he had never been born.

_She cared about me…_

He kept seeing it, her smile. Why can't he just wipe it from his mind!? Why can't he just erase everything!? Why can't he just delete this life and start over!? Or better yet, why can't he just stop!? The road was nothing but dead ends now. He would simply sit and do nothing until the path forms again. But that is impossible. The one person who paves the path is gone. She will never be back. So he will sit there, wasting away in his own hatred until eventually he just vanished.

Eventually he would fall over, lifeless. And no one would notice. No one would care. No one will walk past him, only over him. No one will mourn for him. That is for the best. It would all just be for the best if he faded into obscurity. His body may have run out of tears, but his mind sure hadn't. And so, once again, he sobbed. He could deal with anything in the world before, but now, he couldn't deal with anything. He should just remain quiet. He should just never speak again. He should just disappear. And so should all of his memories. Everything he's been through is nothing. It's a nightmare. It's all just a nightmare. It will not end until he wakes up.

Suddenly, he must realize that he's not sleeping.

"Why do I mourn?" He asked himself. "I was so scared of loosing Maka b-b-because I was scared to live without her. She was such a brilliant person filled with joy and wonder a-a-and she had so much that she c-could give to the world!" He sniffed, "I just wish t-t-that more people could've witnessed her wonder, because she was truly something amazing! I cannot live without her, all because I made a promise to protect her, and I broke it, and Maka, I just want you to know that if you really are out there… I-I-I'm so sorry! H-h-how dos one become so selfless? Become so brilliant, and beautiful? I-It seemed like even through the m-m-most horrible parts of her life s-s-she was there for everyone else, there for me and… how does one become like that? How does one become so wonderful?"

"And how does one loose someone that wonderful?" He sighed. He was lonely again. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. That's all that was left.

"Thank you…" A tiny sound from behind him spoke in a gentle whisper. "That means more to me than you know." Crona didn't move. He was hearing things again. That was all. Nothing more. He sighed.

He felt arms wrap around him from behind, pulling him in close and holding him tight. He felt a familiar presence as someone's body pressed up against his back, her face rested on his shoulder as she embraced him. He sniffled, preparing to cry again.

"Shhh, it's okay, don't cry. I'm right here." She whispered into his ear, "Remember? You're in my heart and here to stay." He felt her smile.

"Y-y-y-you left s-so soon… I miss you s-so much, Maka," he cried out, feeling her ghostly presence around him.

"I'll never let you go." She spoke softly, her voice calming his senses. This is how he wanted to spend eternity, in an embrace with the one he loved…

"You're just a figment o-of my imagination. M-Maka's dead… she w-w-wouldn't come back just to talk to s-something like me!" He curled up, trying to push her out of his mind. She stood up and walked around him, sitting down in front of him. She looked exactly like she did when he had last seen her. So beautiful, so pure. Her gorgeous green eyes stared into his with warmth and comfort.

"I'm real, Crona." She murmured, "It's really me! I'm not dead, I'm here…" She reached out her hand and put it on his chest, right over his heart. "Right here. I will always be right here. Never forget about it, never forget about me, please…"

"I c-c-could never forget about you! N-n-never!" He shouted, tears spilling from his eyes once more and running down his cheeks. "I l-l-loved you Maka! W-w-why did you have to leave!? I w-wanted you to b-b-be with me forever… I wanted to help y-you! I m-m-made you a promise! I-I promised y-you that I would save you f-f-from anything that tried to h-hurt you! And I broke that p-promise! I love you Maka! I love you so much!" He sobbed out.

She pulled him closer, her hands cupping his face as she wiped away his tears. She met his eyes with hers and leaned forwards, leaving a small kiss on his lips. He didn't shy away, didn't tense, didn't blush. He embraced it. For all he knew, this was the last time he would ever meet her soft lips. He felt more tears run down his face as he cried into her mouth, causing her to deepen the kiss, embracing him. It seemed to last forever. It was nothing but a simple, frozen kiss in the silence, wrapped up in a passionate embrace. She eventually pulled away, leaving his lips and tilting his head down to meet her forehead with his.

"Crona, you saved me, and I want to thank you. You helped me through one of the hardest times in my life, and I promise, I'll do everything I can to be here for you now. Embrace what is around you, and I will never leave. You will find me in everything you do, but do not make that a bad thing. Do not try to forget me, please. Please remember me. I care for you so much, and I just want you to know that I will never leave you. I will always be here for you no matter what."

"P-Promise?" Crona whispered to her.

"Promise." She smiled, a tear falling down her face as the two remained locked together. "Crona, I want you to know something."

"Y-yes?" He whispered, swallowing down his tears.

"Seek out what you fear the most. There you will find the answer to your own riddle, and I will wait there for you. This isn't the end. I will see you again, and I will see you soon."

"S-Seek out what I fear the most?" He mumbled.

"Yes. I must go now. Just remember not to forget."

At that, she was gone.

So many feelings fell over the sphere in that one moment. Yet, there was no emotions at all.

It was gone. It was dark.

It was hopeless.

It was hollow.

It was silent.


	6. Chapter 6: Vengeance

Chapter 6: Vengeance

He stood in silence, thoughts running in and out of his head in an ever-flowing stream. As soon as one though was tugged from his mind, another would follow subtly to fill in the gap. They were not thoughts of fiction or imagination, no. They were thoughts of anticipation. Not thoughts of excitement. Not thoughts of fear. Not for what was about to happen. No. They were different. Stories told over and over in his head to put down his swelling desires, stories made of pure anticipation.

Anger. Agony. Remorse. These were not the foundations of his thoughts. No, instead, they are the bolts. They are what hold these stories together, what cause him to shiver and writhe as he stood watching in wait. He stood still. He forced himself to as best he could. He wouldn't draw in any attention if he stood still like this. No one to see his suffering means there's no one to mock his suffering. No one would ease it either. And so, he added on another story to his building. He saw himself. He saw the jet-black sword in his trembling hands as he raised it with might and fury. Oh, how he longed to feel his blade sink into the filthy flesh of that sick serpent. _No… push those thoughts out of your head…_

He was going to hell. He was sure about it. As well, he was sure he was going to hell in this very battle. He was sure to become skewered in his own madness and fall down into darkness, never to breathe again. He would be fine with that. Putting an end to his suffering in the midst of battle is a good way to go, after all. However, the promise he held most sincere to his heart was the promise that as he was sent to hell, he would drag that disgusting witch down with him. She would be locked away in the demon's fiery bag and thrown away. He grinned visibly.

It was a sick, horrible, twisted grin. It sent the black blood firing through his body and sent his sanity reeling away. He gasped slightly, clutching his chest and dragging his train of thought clean off the rails. Forget it… forget it… He straightened himself up and casually peered around him, hoping that no one had seen him. When none of the beings around him made a significant reaction, he sighed and leaned up against the wall, sliding his eyes closed. He had been struggling with his sanity ever since the battle with that damned serpent on the day that…

He shook his head slightly, thinking of her. Thinking of that witch… thinking about that horrid snake. The creature that had smacked him around since his first breathe. He ached to make her suffer. He ached to cut her up and fill her with searing pain. He wanted to tear her hair off, to gouge her eyes out, to punch her until all of her teeth were missing. A large toothy smile spread across his bowed head. Oh, look at how gleeful it made him! But in the end, it was all composed of anticipation.

"All right," A voice spoke up, snapping him out of his maddening state, "It seems as though we are all here. Food supplies have been rationed, and the target has been tracked." Stein's voice wavered as he went on, "We will travel by car until we reach the jungle, and from there we travel on foot, so be weary and prepared. Our plan of attack will be fully decided when we are in closer rage with the target and have discovered her status. Is that clear?"

"Sir!" A few of the students and staff called out.

"Right then, we best be on our way." He beckoned the group with his hand, leading the way beyond the Shibusen and down the stairs. The group consisted of Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, Patty, Killik, Fire and Thunder, Ox, Harvar, Kim, Jacqueline, Crona, Sid, Nygus, and Miss. Marie, and was lead by Prof. Stein. Such a large number for a single target, but she is slippery. Catching her is going to be like trying to contain water in nothing but your cupped hands. She will slide through your fingers until finally she is completely gone. They were going to need as many cupped hands as possible for this mission.

There were two people obviously missing. It stung his heart to think about it, but it was as plain as the sun in the sky. The pair that ultimately put an end to the Kishin were absent from the most difficult mission since. Maka was gone. Did he need to keep reminding himself? Soul on the other hand, couldn't fight without a meister. His only option was to wait for a result. Crona pitied him. He felt sympathy over his suffering, however, had suffering of his own that was equally strong if not more. But at least, in the end, he could acquire something he strived for, for so long: Vengeance. He wasn't the only one who desired revenge. He could see it in the other's eyes. Kid, Black*Star, Liz, Patty, even Tsubaki strived for it.

But it was sick. It was wrong. It wouldn't bring Maka back, and Crona doubted it would make her happy. _"Seek out what you fear the most. There you will find the answer to your own riddle, and I will wait there for you."_ Her words echoed over and over in his mind. The answer to his own riddle? What did that mean? And what did she mean by what he feared the most? He didn't want to fear Medusa, but as much as he tried to drown it down, she tortured him. She turned him into a weapon, turned him into a monster. He couldn't help but feel fear towards her. But that was okay. His fear would be satisfied when he overcame it, he was sure.

The answer to his own riddle… was she talking about his poem? The riddle he had scribbled out before himself when he was writing out his agonies. There was one simple line that had stuck with him the whole time. _"Motivation has only two main drives. One of it is the terror that seeps through the walls of one's heart as they long to never end up like that one lonely stranger, carrying a million tones up the staircase. The second drive comes from the courage from a blinding source, one that can make or break anything, though it is yet to be discovered. If I am ever separated from it, I may only find it in my dreams, and even my nightmares."_

The second drive… the one that created courage… what could it possibly be? _Courage is what defeated the Kishin… surely there had to be some kind of drive behind that… courage doesn't come from no where, does it?_ He climbed into the back of the elongated truck and taking a seat on the cold, wooden bench. These cars were usually used for transporting soldiers off to battle. Was that what they were now? Soldiers? In the long run, disposable, as long as the enemy is defeated? They were nothing but paper people now, set up to stand against the wind that would surely blow them all down. Them more they tired to stand up, the easier it would be for them to be torn apart.

He pushed it back out of his head as he felt the car lurch forwards. There was no turning back now. He was traveling down the road, the road to end his creator, to put down his abuser, to finish his puppeteer. Then again, he had been all his life.

"Right then, we travel by foot from here on out," Stein mumbled, climbing out of the passenger's seat as the group collected once more on the open terrain before them. The nameless driver remained stationary as the people around them gathered up their rationed packs and stepped out onto the desert. Miss. Marie stood at the back of the truck, handing out the supplies to those who gathered around her. Backpacks, cloaks, a quick bite to eat… everything needed for the trek ahead. She longed to have stayed home, but in order to take on Medusa, according to Stein's plans, would require her healing wavelength.

The students around her held their grudges towards the snake witch, though none felt more hatred than the poor, light haired swordsman she longed to call her son. This was his mother, after all. It was all his mother who had done all of these things to him. Though she hated Medusa for her abuse to the child, she was not the one directly abused. She had seen Medusa's recorded work. She had read through all of Medusa's writing, every last word of it declared the abuse the poor swordsman's suffering. Torn apart in so many horrible ways… so many ways too terrible to describe… ways she hoped Crona didn't even remember… Even with a spirit like her own, she could agree instantly. Medusa had overstayed her welcome. She was deserving of this fate.

Crona didn't deserve a mother like her. Miss. Marie wished she could have been Crona's mother from the start… taken care of him, helped him through, given him a normal childhood. Never shown him any kind of abuse, never put him down. She would have told him that she cared for him. Now, Medusa has taken her last lash on the swordsman. Having Maka taken away from him had done something to him. It burned her deep down, the longing to see the two cheerfully together again. It wouldn't happen. She knew. All she could do now was be there for him, to try to make him feel happy once more, to try to show him there is still something left in life.

But she's seen it. She sees that look in his eyes. She sees the way he stares at the ground, how he slowly slips from his sanity. Something has snapped inside of him. Something has changed inside of him, something has died along with her. She remembered it, that one day, he came in for a counseling session.

_"So Crona," She muttered, watching him take a sip of tea, "You look like you have something on your mind." He looked up, eyeing her thoughtfully._

_"Er…" he mumbled, "I um…"_

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Oh, um, nothing…"_

_"You can tell me if something is bothering you. Have those boys been picking on you at school again?"_

_"N-no, that's not…" He took another sip of his tea in an attempt to hide his discomfort. "I-I've just… I've been feeling kind of funny… I think I might be sick…"_

_"Funny? How so?"_

_"I don't know… I just feel sort of nervous again… my stomach feels kind of funny, and my heart d-does too… my face starts to feel kind of warm… You don't think I-I'm sick do you? I d-don't like being sick."_

_"I don't know. Is there anything that causes this kind of feeling?" She cocked her head._

_"I-I never really though about it… it seems to happen a b-b-bit around M-Maka… I never r-r-really want her to see me l-like that though…" He shied away, his eyes avoiding hers. Could it be? Maybe. Probably._

_"I think it's just you growing up," She smiled, still unsure if she should grasp the possible situation, "It's perfectly normal, trust me."_

_"O-Okay…" He averted her gaze. Just thinking about it seemed to make his cheeks glow slightly. She observed him a little bit more before finally coming to her conclusion._

_"Oh, Stein, it's true, isn't it!" She had announced after the swordsman had left. Stein looked up at her, a confused look on his face. "Do you not see it?"_

_"Come again?" He muttered, straightening his glasses._

_"I think that Crona is in love!" She exclaimed, "Just look at him! He is! He's in love with Maka! Oh, the poor little thing, I don't know how easy it'll be for him to find out or to tell her! It could hurt his poor little soul! And what if she doesn't love him back? He would be so heartbroken! I couldn't bare to see him like that!"_

_"Hm." Was Stein's only remark as he turned back to his grading work._

_"Don't be so stern! I don't even think he knows it himself!" She sighed. "What do you think will happen?"_

_"Beats me." He straightened his glasses, "Trust me, I know that boy well, he'll find some way through it." He smiled. Marie smiled back, nodding her head in agreement._

Several small fires were lit in a small clearing of the forest. The students began to set up tents. They would need their sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day for all of them, though she knew that hardly any of them would actually allow themselves to fall asleep. There was so much happening now. Marie's head felt fuzzy with all of the mixed emotions. Her emotions for her students, her emotions for her colleagues, her emotions for her friends. Her emotions for herself. There was too much… too much for her to handle… and the thought that some of these people may not come back after tomorrow rattled her mind.

She stared up at the large, yellow moon, blood stained its crystal white teeth. She needed something to distract her, something to draw her mind away from all of these thoughts. Slowly, the students began to gather around the fire in hope of drawing warmth from it.

"Alright," Stein announced, causing her to jump slightly, "We have come up with a plan of attack. Tomorrow we will move in towards Medusa's palace and strike. In order to take her out, we're going to need an attacker with an opposite wavelength. Sid and I believe that Miss. Marie's Healing wavelength should be enough, if matched with another strong enough wavelength. We will sneak in from different angles, closing in around her," He began to draw a fuzzy map in the dirt below with a stick he had picked up, "I have been in there before, and from my knowledge, it has an ever-changing layout Be incredibly cautious of moving pieces, and always keep a light with you."

Some of the students nodded in acknowledgment. "Once we all move in together, we will outnumber her, and get her vulnerable?" Nygus spoke up.

"That was the main plan, however, we have no clue how many cronies she may have. That is why we will split into groups of attack. Kid, your group will team up with Black*Star's. Ox, you and Harvar will team up with Killik and the twins, Sid and Nygus will accompany Kim and Jacqueline, and Crona, you will cover Marie and myself." Crona made no sign of acknowledgment. "We will have to play it by ear, since we have no time to waste, and she is still hiding secrets from us. We will close in, without becoming separated from our groups, and attack. Each of your groups contains someone with Soul Perception. Have them use that ability to locate Medusa, and be prepared to attack or form a group resonance at any point. Medusa is slippery, she could easily pull a trick on us."

"Crona, you know that place better than any of us. I want you to bring Miss. Marie and I to her most vulnerable point, and cover us after that. Understood?" Crona's eyes left the fire briefly, annoyance in his command to move flickered in his eyes as he gave a small nod. "Everyone, no matter what you do, be sure that Miss. Marie makes it to the target unharmed. She may be our only trump card in all of this."

"Yes Sir!" A couple of students called out to him. Stein reached down in his pockets, picking up a cigarette and a lighter. A small light shone from behind his hand as he lit the small stick between his lips. He took a deep breath in, letting out nothing but a translucent smoke, whispering up into the air in a skull-like shape.

"There is one more important matter I need to tell you." He sighed. Miss. Marie knew this part would be the hardest to take for the poor students, "We do not know what state we will find her in. However, when it comes to defeating this witch, sometimes sacrifices must be made. If worse comes to worse, we may need to destroy the body she is in control of in order to defeat her soul permanently." A couple of the students looked at him in shock. Miss. Marie sighed. What a horrible burden, knowing that they may have to kill an innocent person in order to defeat one single witch. "Now," Stein picked back up, his voice wavering slightly as the flames gave of a popping sound, "All of you get some rest, and get prepared for the morning. It will take less than an hour to arrive at the palace, so we must be on alert. I will take the first watch. Now, get some rest." He stood up, taking another whiff of his cigarette as the students slowly began to disperse to the tents.

Miss. Marie watched them go, slowly, one by one. Eventually, her eyes trailed down to the last remaining student, slowly picking himself up off the ground. "Crona?" She asked. He looked over at her, his eyes empty and unreadable, though she could tell how sad and scared he truly was. "I know this is hard on you. You didn't have to come along on this mission, you know?" She muttered to him.

"I-I know…" He dodged her gaze, "But I felt it was only right…"

She let out a sympathetic sigh, attempting to register all he was going through. "It's happening again, you know? And it may not be too easy. Once again, you are turning a blade against your mother-" She was caught off guard by his eyes. They snapped back around her at that last word, staring at her with hatred. Nothing more, nothing less. She jumped slightly at the reaction, having never seen something like that in his character.

"She is not my mother." His voice was cold and merciless. It almost felt as though he was shoving the correction down her throat, burning away all the papers marked with those words with his sharp gaze. Without another word, he turned around and proceeded to his tent. She sighed, her eyes tracing small markings on the ground as Stein sat back down with her. He let out another whiff of smoke as he peered towards the fire, the yellow light shimmering across his glasses and hiding his eyes.

"You should get some sleep too," He muttered, emotionlessly.

"He's changed," She sighed after a long pause. "He isn't who he used to be."

"That's what these things do to you," The patchwork Professor poked around in the flames with his stick, "Sometimes, these things happen. When they do, you cannot change them. Only they can change you."

"The poor thing," Marie looked away, "How is he going to react? How is he going to take it?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think it will be good."

"Why can't we just tell him now? Why can't we just re-write the plan, with him knowing?"

"He needs to find out at the right moment. He needs to activate the black blood in the heat of battle. It's the only way your wavelength can be amplified strongly enough to destroy Medusa's soul."

"It's too cruel."

"It is. But it's the only way we can win this."

Miss. Marie had gone on and on in this argument before. Right now was not the best time to be getting into it again. So, she kept her mouth shut. Stein's mind was made. No matter how grueling it would be to him, it would be better than having hundreds more innocent people die at that witch's hands. Marie had seen Crona's desire to finish her. Earlier that day, he did something so horrendously unexpected. He stood up in a way that she would have never wished to see him do before. When Black*Star exclaimed his wish to end Medusa for Maka's sake, Crona had turned on him. His words echoed in her head, cold and dangerous.

_"Her life is not yours to take."_

So direct, so dark, so different. He had changed, and the day ahead of them would change him more than he could ever imagine.

The groups had already broken apart. This was it. They were here. The horrible witch who tore his world to shreds was right beyond those walls. Crona's chest flared up with hate and anticipation. He trembled uncontrollably just looking at the damned thing. He wanted to crush it. He wanted to crush it all with her inside of it. She deserved to be slaughtered mercilessly, and that was the conclusion he had come to. That conclusion would never change. Part of him wanted to turn around, to flee and never return, but he needed to do this. He needed to do this for Maka's sake. He wasn't going to be the one to finish her off though. He wasn't going to be the one to destroy her. Oh, how he wished he was. The plan had been made. There was no going back.

This was it.

He swallowed down a sadistic chuckle as he felt the black blood begin to churn and swim in his veins. He was preparing himself. He was preparing himself for battle. It wasn't a battle he would loose, he knew that. It wasn't even considered a battle. No, it was a massacre. The good kind, of course. The kind he could sit back and watch in glee, the kind he could enjoy like a film, over and over…

_Stop! Stop thinking these things! You do not cut up the rabid dog, you make its death quick and painless. You do not torture it, you put it down. There is no way you can save it now, even if it has bitten you, even if you are about to suffer from its own horrid disease, you do not torture it for that._ What was he thinking? Was he really attempting to force some kind of pity towards this horrible animal? Maybe. It was either he felt hatred towards her, or he pitied her. Those were the only two things he felt any more. There was no sadness, no fear. Nothing could stop him from taking her life, not even the plan. He wasn't going to go against the plan, no. He was simply going to tweak it. He was going to change it slightly.

His fingers trembled slightly as he walked in through one of the hidden entrances. He knew this place from somewhere… he had walked through this entry only once… he couldn't remember when though. Oh well. It would still remain familiar enough for him to find his way to Medusa, and with Stein's soul perception, there was no way they could get lost. Plus, he had the greatest feeling that Medusa would never see them coming through this entrance. He didn't know what the others were up to, or where they were for that matter, but frankly, he didn't care. He couldn't care less about the rest of the group at the moment. For now, it was just the four of them. The strike team. The team that would put down the serpent once and for all.

Crona's assignment was to cover the two as they landed the final blow. He "didn't know why", but he had a great feeling that his position may just change a little bit… Just a little bit… he grinned once more, the dark of the hallway hiding it from the two in front of him. Need he say any words? The path should be straight. Straight forwards, keep on walking, turn where the hall turns… not a single fork in the road. That was his memory of this path. It was easy. Too easy. Medusa would have set traps if she knew they were coming. But she didn't, did she? How could she, after all?

Suddenly he felt his stomach begin to do summersaults. What if she does? What if she can sense us right now? She probably can, then there is probably a trap somewhere. He needs to tell them! Speak up! "P-Professor," He mumbled, forcing back a stutter, "I have a bad feeling about this, I feel like she has traps set somewhere. She wouldn't let us slide by so easily."

"I know she has traps set. That's why I brought you with us, you will know how to deal with the vast majority of these traps, as well as lead us through."

"But professor, these hallways change at times. If she knows that we're coming through this one, she could place a fork in the middle of no where." He lowered his voice in concern, "I-If that happens, we may not be able t-t-to get to her."

"Don't forget about my Soul Perception. We will still be able to find our way, even if it might take a little while longer." Stein hummed on.

Crona lowered his voice until it was inaudible. "We may not have that long." He continued to stare at the ground, not paying much attention to where he was going.

Medusa straightened up, giving a muffled laugh. The images in the crystal ball shone large and clear, reflected in her cold, amber eyes. She watched from Crona's eyes, taking in everything about the plan. Oh, how it is so easy to succeed. Soon, every last one of them would be dancing in the palm of her hand. Such a fooling bunch of hooligans. They were doomed from the moment they decided to step foot in her jungle. All the arrows always point in the wrong direction. All the arrows always point forwards in life. And if you keep moving forwards, you will eventually reach the end. All the arrows always point towards death. It was so simple, yet so delightful.

"Medusa-Sama!" Eruka's voice cheered from her doorway as the frog witch bounded in, "We've trapped the rest of them! Crona won't even know they have gone!"

"Brilliant," the snake chuckled coldly, "Where is Free, then?"

"Geko, he remained to guard their halls. We simply moved the blocks and encased them. They probably won't be able to break through the block, however, they have a witch with them, and a Shinigami! I left Free there to guard just in case!" She sounded quite chipper. She knew that in doing this, she would have a snake removed from her body. That's one more gone. That was one step closer to her freedom.

"Sounds reasonable," She turned back to the crystal ball, watching Crona's movements. "Now then, we're going to have to get those three separated…" Her plan was falling perfectly into action. Stein she could trap easily, but the Mjolnir was much too dangerous to keep alive. Though not as harmful as an anti-demon wavelength, a healing wavelength could be her downfall if treated well. Once Crona sees her reason, he will have no choice but to fall into her arms. Then, she could proceed the black blood experimentation, starting with having him kill the rest of the group he came with. A large grin covered her entire face.

"Now then," She whispered, addressing a third being in the room, "It seems as though your power has been restored, as has mine. Do you think you are up to it, Clown?"

A metallic laugh sounded off behind her as a strange, deformed, black clown being stepped- no, floated out of the shadows. He stopped in front of her, his permanent grin being the only true identity of any facial features on its long, metal-covered head. A small droplet of black blood dripped from its fingers as it swayed back and forth.

"Now," She whispered, her voice changing tones as if to chant, "Combine alike, serpent, hydra and clown, and become the Madness of the Midgard…" She lifted both of her arms into the air, allowing the two snake tattoos to slip off and form into two large, materialized serpents. The two stood on either side of the clown, their bodies had been lengthened due to their rise in power. "Combine alike, serpent, hydra and clown, and become the Madness of the Midgard…" She chanted again. Slowly, on both of the snakes, their eyes began to move up their head in a horrid, gruesome fashion. It tore through their tissue, spewing small bits of cold, red blood onto the ground below. The two eyes eventually reached the top of their heads and began to swim around in eachother, becoming one single, mutated eye.

Slowly, a large, red, metallic glowing came from the two snake's single eyes, slowly beginning to take a shape. It was a symbol, a vertical eye, exactly the same as the one representing the Kishin. _Representing madness._ Soon the two eyes floated above the two snakes, angled inwards to the clown in between them. The clown remained stationary, stopping his swaying and cackling as he awaited his charm.

"Combine alike, serpent, hydra and clown, and become the Madness of the Midgard…" She chanted again. This time, the small line above the clown's mouth began to glow the same red, slowly forming into the third eye. She clapped her hands together suddenly and let forth a small burst of magic towards the three glowing red eyes. At that, the snakes flew inwards, launched towards the clown and began to coil around it. Slowly, the snakes and the clown began to soften, forming into almost a fluid as they swam around in eachother, shapes slowly forming in the gruesome looking soup before her She cackled in delight as the blob fell to the ground. It was large and black, held together by a thin membrane.

It swayed uncontrollably, threatening to burst at any moment as the ground slowly began to lap up the black flowing from it. Medusa stood up, walking towards it. She placed her hands on top of it, the warm, sticky black liquid gleefully inviting her hands to feel more. "Combine alike, serpent, hydra and clown, and become the Madness of the Midgard… Now, breathe as the Jormungandr!" She shouted. The sickly black form began to morph once more, straightening out into a long, curved shape, the membrane fitting onto the being inside. The snake witch took a few steps back to watch, minding her own safety from this beast. She watched as a defined head began to stretch its way from the blob, stretching its mouth until the membrane burst, the inside of the serpent's mouth coming forwards as it stretched out its teeth.

Medusa's grin only widened as the beast lifted its head, straightening up as it took its shape, small white spots slowly growing into patterns. It threw its head from side to side, calling out its silent proclamation of life. It towered above her. The snake that was once only 4 meters long now coiled around in at least 20 meters of madness, challenging any python, anaconda, or any serpent for that matter. The beast slowly settled, lowering itself onto the ground and moving its face towards the witch. She reached out and stroked its melon-sized head, its three white tattooed eyes staring right back at her.

"Now then, Hydra Jormungandr… why don't you give your guests a little welcome?" She snarled in glee. The snake dipped its head, spinning around and slithering across the floating bricks and into the hall pointed towards the Swordsman. Medusa watched every feature of it disappear from its 4 inch teeth to its metallic-roped midsection, to its now pair of tails, each containing the same barbed spear that Crona had torn off of it their first encounter.

The footsteps of the three echoed through the empty hall. So far, so good. Everything was going well. That was not necessarily a good thing. The longer they go without a single roadblock, the more they are dancing in Medusa's hand. Crona attempted to force down a shudder. He wouldn't think about it. They had only a few minuets of walking left, but there was nothing standing in their way. Yet.

"Hold on," Stein mumbled, "The path looks different here…" He peered through squinted eyes as he attempted to get a better look at it. "I'm going to turn on my light, if you see anything, tell me at once." Marie and Crona both nodded, anxiety clutching at the swordsman's throat. What would he find when he turned on the light? Would it be good? Would it be bad? Was there really a difference at the moment? He swallowed hard as Stein turned on the flashlight, shining it at the ground before he slowly took a step forwards, shining the light onto the ground of the hall. The pattern of the wall and floor had changed. Now, it was all made entirely out of bricks, red and burgundy bricks, a complete change from the green and purple blocks that had been surrounding them.

"It might be a trap," Crona managed to choke out.

"It is." Stein murmured. "I'll go first. Crona, stay with Miss. Marie at all times, neither of you must get separated. This seems to be the only way to go. But I want you to stay behind for now. I will call for you when it's safe." He took a few steps forwards. Slowly, with his flashlight still pointed at the ground, he proceeded into the shadows. Slowing his steps even further, he turned back to them. "Okay, it seems sa-"

Suddenly one of the Green and purple blocks slammed down in front of them, separating them. "Stein!" Miss. Marie shouted as they both jumped in fright. Crona could feel his heart beat begin to speed up, his breath becoming heavy. Marie ran up to the brick, slamming her fist down on it in protest. "Stein! Can you hear me! Are you all right!?" She cried out in desperation.

"I'm fine," Stein's voice was quiet and muffled from the other side, "I'm trapped though, this is a dead end here!" Marie flinched at the words.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" She shouted, her arm beginning to glow as it transformed into a hammer shape.

"No! Wait, Miss. Marie!" Crona shouted. She was going to hurt herself if she did! "These bricks are-" He was cut off as Miss. Marie slammed the hammer down on the brick, causing a rebound. The two were flung backwards at the force, hitting the ground heavily. Crona was winded. He coughed and sputtered, attempting to get his breath back as he picked himself off the ground.

"Why!?" Miss. Marie's face was scrunched up in anger and frustration.

"Miss. Marie! These aren't like the bricks where w-we fought her last time! T-T-These bricks are enchanted! They can't be broken!" He shouted at her, "Trust me, I know," His voice lowered, "I've tried." At that word, another brick lining the wall slowly began to move, sinking down into the floor and providing another path.

"Marie," Stein called, "Find another way, and continue without me! Keep Crona close, he'll be your meister! Don't get separated, and bring down the snake!"

"But what about you, Stein!?" She shouted, "How will you get out!?"

"Figure that out after! For now you have to go after her. Meet up with the others, land the final blow! It won't take much! Just keep on going!"

Marie leaned against the brick, shivering and staring onwards with desperation. "C-Come on, Miss. Marie, we have to go! We'll get him out after!" Crona couldn't help it. He himself was trembling. He saw through Medusa's plan. She was going to separate them. Once separated, Marie wouldn't have a meister, then she couldn't use her abilities against Medusa. They needed to stay together, no matter what the risk. However, at this point, it looked like Miss. Marie wasn't convinced into moving on. Crona sighed. He needed to keep moving, He needed to finish this once and for all.

He reached out, taking her hand in his. He felt her tense up, whipping around to look at him. Her one eye was wide, sadness and longing shining in it. "Come on," He whispered, leading her onwards by gently pulling her hand. She sighed, her shoulders dipping as she continued on. Together they walked down the dark, empty corridor. It was dangerous, but they needed to keep moving. Crona's plan had been settled for him. It was time to keep moving, and he now was the one to put Medusa down. His fate had been sealed. It was time. He shivered in anticipation, and now, fear. Yes, he was afraid. Never before on this journey had he been afraid of facing the witch, but now that he was dancing in her palm, he was hurting with the terror that rocked his mind. His chest was beginning to hurt, and his legs slowly became heavier.

Slowly, the path widened up, becoming what appeared to be a room. Something wasn't right. This room was empty. This room was flat. It was a trap. He gasped, spinning around to look at the exit right as another brick slammed down, trapping them. He gasped, jumping back and retreating to where Miss. Marie was. "We're trapped?" She mumbled, looking from side to side.

"T-T-there's got to be a way out! There's always a way out!" Crona's heart was pounding away at his chest.

"You dumbass! Look what you did!" Ragnarok screeched as he emerged from the meister's back. "Now we're trapped! We're going to die!"

"Be quiet," Crona spoke to the demon.

"Don't you tell me to be quiet! You're the one who got us stuck in here in the first place!"

"No, Ragnarok, be quiet…" Crona stretched his hearing as much as he could. He could've sworn he heard something… in this hollow of a room, any sound could've easily traveled, echoing throughout the walls.

"What do you hear?" Miss. Marie whispered, approaching him. They waited. Suddenly, they heard it again. It was much louder this time. Like nails on a chalkboard, it was the sound of metal grinding against metal. It scraped along the walls, quickly before darting away into the shadows.

"There's something in here with us." Crona stated bluntly, forcing back a cry of terror. Miss. Marie picked up her flashlight, walking a few paces away from Crona, but she didn't turn it on. No, not yet. It would be too risky. The pink-haired meister grasped onto his own flashlight, his hand trembling as he raised it, pointing the unlit bulb menacingly around the walls. He felt like it was there. He felt like what ever was in the room was right in front of him. Did he dare? He must. He closed his eyes, beginning to pant as his thumb brushed over the button. He pressed down.

Nothing. There was nothing in front of him. The same didn't apply for behind him. A slight hiss came from over his shoulder, but before he had any time to react, two enormous fangs buried their way into his shoulder, a searing pain filling his body. He jumped upwards in fright, flailing his limbs as he let out a strangled scream of terror. His flashlight fell to the ground, landing on the lens. It shattered and broke, and the room was dark again.

"Crona!" Marie shouted, spinning around. His head felt fuzzy. How did he get here? Why was he on the floor? He was just suspended in the air, wasn't he? Marie flicked on the flashlight and ran over to him. There was nothing near him. What had just happened? Was it a hallucination? "Crona, what happened!?" She gasped in terror.

"I-I-I'm sorry…" He mumbled awkwardly, trying to pick himself off the ground, "I think it was a hallucination…" Suddenly pain prickled in his shoulder where the creature had bit him. Out of instinct, he slapped his hand up to the spot of pain, trying to sooth it. He gasped slightly when he felt something warm and wet slip through his palms and onto the ground in a small yet deafening patter. Marie gasped.

"Crona, you're bleeding!" She cried. _What?_ Crona looked down at the small puddle of black that was slowly accumulating below him He was bleeding, and he was bleeding bad. His eyes widened in terror as he began to shake. The horrible feeling of pain and sickness began to eat away at his shoulder.

"R-Ragnarok!" He gasped for breath, his chest getting heavy as Miss. Marie kept one hand over his back in comfort, "Ragnarok! Harden my blood!" He shouted. No response. _Not this again!_ He felt the madness began to tug away at his mind, slowly attempting to drain his sanity. He was going to loose it! Was this all a hallucination!? Was he still only seeing things!? If he wasn't then there was still something in the room!

If it wasn't for Marie's hand on his back, he would have been long gone by now, slowly sliding into the depths of madness. It was a tug of war between the black acid and the healing wavelength, and he was the rope. His shoulder began to burn in a roaring pain. He dug his fingernails into it, whimpering as it began to swallow up his tissue. His skin was on fire with hurt as he let out a loud throaty cry in an attempt to silence his pain.

"Crona! Are you okay!?" Marie tried to prop him up to look at him, but he remained frozen on the his knees, hunched over before the pool of his own blood. The drops kept coming faster and faster, filling up the floor around him. He removed his hand suddenly to look at his blood. Bad call. As soon as the pressure was removed, the two small puncture wounds began spewing black, throwing it out onto the floor in front of him, the stream becoming heavier with each pulse. He quickly slapped his hand back over his wound. "You're bleeding so much! Where's Ragnarok!?"

"T-t-t-t-t-the snake's v-v-v-venom-" he choked out, "I-I-it stops m-my-m-m-my black blood f-f-from working!" He shivered in pain.

"Snake?" Marie asked, holding her hand over Crona's to keep as much pressure as she could on his wound. The searing pain began to eat away at his middle, cramping it up and causing his stomach to toss and turn. His heart burned and each breath was a burden. He was going to die like this, wasn't he? No! He couldn't! He still needed to put an end to Medusa! He still needed to avenge Maka! He couldn't stop here! He couldn't-! His stomach flopped as he hunched over forwards, his throat becoming aggravated as his arms began to tremble.

Suddenly he lurched forwards, his mouth opening to cough. It was a horrible, dry throaty cough that burned his esophagus as he heaved in another breath. He shook, staring down at the ground with wide eyes as the pain only grew. He lurched once again, attempting to force his mouth closed as he felt bile rise in his throat. The pain was unbearable! He couldn't suffer through it any more! With a sick sound, he gave another lurch, this time he coughed as a small pool of sick fall out of his mouth.

"It's okay…" Miss. Marie's terrified voice rang in his ears as his body struggled to fight off the poison, "It's going to be okay!" She rubbed his back, her eyes still darting back and forth for the attacker. Crona removed his hand from his shoulder to clutch onto his stomach. So much agony! So much pain! He got sick again, this time his mouth was filled with a horrible, metallic tasting liquid. He spat it out and looked down at the pool of his own blood. _Blood!_ He slapped his hand over his mouth, trying to resist getting sick any more.

"It's okay," Marie's voce quivered, "It's going to get the poison out!" She tried to comfort him.

"No!" He coughed again, a small trickle of blood running off his bottom lip, "No, it's blood!" He covered his mouth before he could heave again. Suddenly, Marie jumped back, her hands lifted off him in fright.

Gone. The pain was gone. As soon as she had detached her healing wavelength from him, the pain was gone. In that one split moment, the pain was gone. The conflicting forces inside of his mind were gone. The battle inside of his body was gone. It was finished. At that one moment, the healing wavelength was taken away from him. The madness won. In that one moment, his sanity was gone. The black blood madness rushed through his body, raging on in his mind. He was no longer bleeding, either. That was good… wasn't it? He let out a cold chuckle.

"C-Crona?" The death scythe approached him in terror. Suddenly he flopped backwards onto the ground behind him, his maddening laugh ringing through the empty room. He was trapped. He was trapped on that ocean-less beach, the water now reduced to nothing more than a thick, red, puddle. The vast expanses of the ash-like black sand blinded his view of the horrors appearing on the other side. He was watching from out of his eyes, watching through a thin pane of glass at the edge of his beach, blocking off his world and the real world. He was trapped inside his slowly disintegrating mind, as the now flattened sphere began to crumble underneath him. If he could only break through this glass, he could tell Miss. Marie! He could tell her what happened! He had been bit by the snake's venom, and it had awoken a disturbance in his blood!

But he could see it in her eyes. The terror, the confusion, eating away at her as her eyes darted back and forth. She knew that something else was in the room with them, but Crona couldn't warn her what it was. This made him shake. _He couldn't warn her what it was_! He slammed his fist against the glass pane, desperately calling out to him. "Miss. Marie!" He cried out, "There's a serpent! Don't let it bite you!" Heaven knows what could happen if she was bitten, but for now, he needed to fight off this poison! He may not have Ragnarok here to save him this time! He continued slamming his fist against the glass before he ran backwards a few paces. He braced himself before launching himself into the glass at break-neck speed, slamming his shoulder into it. It stung so badly as he crashed into it, his body buckling and his chest heaving as the wind was knocked clean out of him. Panting, he stood back and watched as a tiny chip of glass fell onto the ground, the tiniest of cracks growing across the mass expanse of glass.

He ran backwards and repeated this action once more, slamming his shoulder into the division with all his might. _There was something behind him._ He gasped as his shoulder flared up in pain, surging through his upper body. He slapped his hand down onto it and spun around. The ache of another presence was much too real.

"Who's there!?" He shouted in terror, backing up against the wall. Standing before him was an image of himself. It looked just like him, but something was wrong. His clothes appeared different. Around his neck he had odd, thin, metallic flaps, and around his waste he had those same three, odd buckles that had been attached on the midsection of the snake. There was one more thing wrong… his face. Once again, three tattooed eyes, gleaming at him with bloodlust, had replaced his facial features.

"Hello," The thing spoke, taking a step forwards. Crona felt his hands begin to shake as he searched desperately for a way out. "Stop trying to run away from me, you know that you can't." It reached out its hand. "If you simply embrace me, we can become one. If you don't then you will never defeat that snake."

"Shut up!" He hollered, his fingernails driving into the top of his head as he hunched over. As soon as his fingers fell from his shoulder, it began to bleed. Two small holes had appeared, slowly spewing out the thick black fluid. "I know what you are!" Anger and terror rang in his voice, "I know what you are trying to do! You're going to take over me! You're going to trick me! It won't work!"

"But you know," The shadow's shoulder had as well began to bleed, "If you don't join with me, the Mjolnir will die."

"No she won't! I will protect her! If I join with you, you'll make me turn against her!"

"The snake is the real problem here and now. Do you not know? The blood from the Gorgon's left side produces a deadly poison, while the blood from the Gorgon's right can cure any injury and bring the dead back to life. However, do you really think that snake would have bitten you with its right fang? Sure, both will sink into the Mjolnir's flesh, but in the end, the poison of the Jormungandr will take its prize."

"You're lying! It's all lies!" He shouted, "You're just trying to lure me into this! I see past your empty threats!" The shadow cocked its head sideways, giving the swordsman a crooked, disappointed look.

"You deny to be one with me?" He whispered. "Then I guess you will suffer…" Crona spun around to check on Marie, making sure none of the threats had come through. She was reaching out to him, trying to help him, when he heard his body shout out to her.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted, scrambling back and away with her. He felt his mind reel as his body slammed against the wall. He let out another chuckle, his eyes faced downwards, and his pupils narrowed. Back behind the glass, he spun back around to the shadow in front of him, who's shoulder now bled profusely, shooting out the black blood as it slowly began to crumble from the ground. At this, its shoulder tore open and a mass of black blood was spat out, in the process, ripping his shadow to shreds. _Not this again! Please, anything but this!_ Slowly the black blood began to form into the snake, only this time, it was enormous. Towering stories above him, the massive serpent bared its teeth in preparation to sink down and into the meister's flesh. In utter desperation, Crona flung himself at the glass wall again and again, trying to break it somehow. He didn't have a choice, soon he would become one with the madness.

He stared through the glass and into Miss. Marie's eyes. They were terrified, hurt, desperate… it seemed as though all hope had fled from them. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold his hands out, to tell her he was all right, to tell her that everything was going to be okay! But it wasn't. Behind her. Right there… right behind her… the Jormungandr coiled back in preparation to attack. In absolute terror, he flung himself at the glass wall one last time, screaming at her, shouting at her.

"Behind you!" He felt the words fall from his lips. Miss. Marie's eyes widened as she spun around, coming face to face with the snake. Her hand glowed a pure, blinding white as the serpent flung his fangs down towards her. With one hardy swing, she slammed down on the side of the creature's head, sending it rocketing down to the ground, squirming in pain. The weapon took a step back grasping her hand in horror as she struggled to keep it in her hammer form. She spun back around to Crona, her opposite hand glowing with her healing wavelength, and slammed it onto his shoulder.

It all happened too fast. He couldn't see it happen, couldn't hear it happen, and couldn't feel it happen. He didn't remember it happening, but he knew it did, somehow, he was back in his own body. Somehow, the madness was gone. With that one hit to the snake, the madness had been weakened so much, she was able to vanquish it. His head hurt as the thoughts spun around in it.

He gasped, finally reorienting himself and staring out at the snake. "Crona! Are you alright!?" She shouted back at him, preparing to lunge once more at the snake.

"Yes, thank you!" He straightened up, calling for Ragnarok in his mind. "Ragnarok!?" He spoke out loud at last, "Can you hear me?"

"Gopee!" The familiar shriek brought relief flooding to his startled brain. His breath was still shaky, but slowly, bit-by-bit, he forced himself into recovery.

"Do you think you c-could harden my blood now!?" The swordsman took a step back from the oncoming snake. The creature slammed it's head down into a lunge, just as the death scythe jumped away from its japing, toxic jaws, delivering another hit to the top of its now grounded head.

"Be patient! I'm still recovering, dummy! I don't think I can right now, but just don't get bit or have to use blood attacks, 'kay?!"

"O-Okay!" Crona reached out his hand as Ragnarok's sword began to materialize. Under his breath, he continued, "Easier said than done."

He watched as the two battled it out, each one of them taking harm from each and every contact made. He needed a chance to strike. He needed the perfect moment to get in close with it and strike it dead. He braced himself through his resonance, bracing himself to attack. With one last hit, Jormungandr and Marie were thrown across the room opposite of eachother, Marie landing on her feet while the serpent fell heavily onto his side. This was his chance.

"Screech Alpha!" He screamed, dragging his sword across the ground, shooting a large, cloud like attack flying over to the opponent. It hit the snake hard, sparks flying from the attack's mouth-like apparatus as it crashed into the snake. In it's weakened state, Miss. Marie took the chance. She swelled up her wavelength within her weapon, drawing it backwards to attack before she threw herself upwards at the creature, now suspended in mid air.

With a battle cry, she slammed her hammer down on its head. A bright light shone from where the two had collided, and everything seemed to freeze. Once the creature hit the ground, it would be his chance to finish him off. There was a huge explosion, and the snake was shot towards the ground. Crona ran up to it, and just as the snake buckled on the ground, Ragnarok let out a deafening scream. It echoed through the empty room with such a thunder that Crona was sure the walls were going to smash. He raked the sword into the neck of the snake, dragging the vibrating blade heavily into the creature's throat. With much resistance, the sword slowly moved through the serpent, black blood spewing from the cut and splattering the meister's face. His muscles were burning. He couldn't keep the upward motion going for much longer. No! He needed to! He needed to destroy this creature! He needed to pass this final roadblock, and prove to that horrible acid that he could destroy the beast without loosing sense of his morals! With one final effort, the blade passed through it's neck, chopping it's head clean off. The head became liquid and formed into cold, black blood as it splashed onto the ground, coating the front of the swordsman's clothes. The body flung and squirmed for moments more before falling to the ground, twitching slightly before it became motionless.

Miss. Marie picked herself off of the ground, her hand on her forehead and her opposite arm torn and bleeding from the combat with the serpent. Both of them panted slightly, catching their breath in relief. "It's over." Crona eventually managed to breath out. "Are you okay?" He turned to her, peering at her hand.

"Yeah," She struggled out, "I'm fine."

"What happened to your arm?"

"It—it must have been our opposite wavelengths. We were tearing eachother up each time we touched… but it's okay, it's not that bad. Are you okay? D-did you get poisoned?"

"It was meant, to, to stir up my black blood. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"N-no, it's fine. It's over."

A petrifying cackle howled through the room, as if on a speaker. Crona knew that cackle. He knew it all too well. _Medusa!_ He began to shiver and shake. He knew she had heard what had happened. The cackle continued on and on before she finally took a breath and began to speak.

"Stupid girl. You really think this battle could be over so easily? Do you really know what you are fighting, here?" She cackled.

"It's a black-blooded serpent! I defeated it! Your plan has failed once again!" Crona shouted out at her. Oh, how he wanted to see that witch. Once he saw her, he would wrap his hands around her neck and strangle her. He would kill her with his bare hands! There was another cackle.

"I can see what is happening in the room, you know?" Suddenly, a twitch of movement caught Crona's eye. He spun around and stared at the snake's carcass as it began to twitch and squirm once more, the stump where it's head once was spewing blood as a sickening crack came from inside of it. "I wouldn't let my greatest creation go to waste that easily, you know? Jormungandr is a mixture of snake and clown. I have created him stronger than you know, and with that final move, I'm afraid you may have doomed yourself!" She howled in laughter.

"Stop trying to manipulate us, Medusa!" Marie called out into the dark, "We know your tricks, and we know they won't work! You're just trying to strike up fear in us, we see right through you!"

"Oh really?" At this point, the squirming carcass slowly began to smoke at the stump, a strange looking limb beginning to worm it's way out. "You see, Jormungandr here is a Hydra. You cut off one head, and two more grow back." At this, the form burst from the creature's neck, completely composed of blood as it stretched open it's sick mouth. Four sharp fangs stretched out from its top jaw as it began to pull itself apart. It flung its head from side to side, hissing and flinging its own blood back and forth. Its head began to split in half, slowly materializing as two. With a sickening pop, the heads broke apart, each one stretching out their new set of jaws. The last of the blood fell off of it as its two identical heads stared back at them.

"N-No…" Crona whispered, "It's not fair!" The serpent lifted its heads up high as it prepared to strike once more. "I can't use cutting attacks! If I try to cut it, it'll only get worse!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Ragnarok shouted, anger and fear ringing in his voice, "What the hell do we do!?"

"Crona!" Miss. Marie shouted at him, "I'll keep fighting the snake, you try to find your way to Medusa, and I'll meet you there! I should be able to face it, but you need to meet up with the others!"

"No!" He shouted back at her, "I am not going to leave you behind! I was told to cover you and to make sure you made it to Medusa unharmed! I'm not getting separated from you too!"

"I'm afraid I won't give you much of a choice!" Medusa's voice rang throughout the room as one of the blocks on the wall slammed down, revealing a well lit, wide-open area. Jormungandr slid himself in front of Miss. Marie, blocking off the entrance. Medusa was right down that hall.

"Go!" Miss. Marie cried at him, "Wait for the others and keep her stalled! I'll be there in a few minuets!" She swung her hammer at the creature. He easily dodged it, smacking her with his tail as she swung again. He had to choose. The door was wide open. He could walk in there, defeat Medusa, avenge his stolen angel, and save hundreds of people from dying at her hands, but leave Miss. Marie behind, feed her to the snake, and put himself at risk of loosing. Or, he could stay here, locked in an eternal fight against the hydra meanwhile Medusa sat idly by in waiting as the two were eventually torn apart. It was a choice. It was a choice that would define this battle.

"I-I'm sorry!" Crona shouted back at Miss. Marie as he ran outside of the door. She would make it, he knew she would! His feet felt heavy. He felt like he was betraying her once more, but he knew, the mission had a greater chance of succeeding if he went to battle the main target now, instead of helping the other to defeat the road block. It burned his mind. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to leave her behind! But he had to. He had to face Medusa! He had to put an end to her, for Maka's sake!

With one final step, he was out of the dark room. And with one final step, his entire decision was flipped backwards. The brick flew back upwards, trapping the death scythe alone with the Hydra. She wouldn't be able to escape until one of the two were defeated. _No, it's okay! She's going to make it! I'm sure of it!_ But in the end, he couldn't stop himself from whipping around and throwing his fists on the wall. He slammed against it several times in an attempt to make some sound.

"Miss. Marie!" He shouted to her, "Can you get out!?"

"I will!" She shouted back, her voice muffled, "Just stall right now! You'll be okay! I'll make it out!" There was a loud crash. "Crona, there is something I want you to know. The plan was changed from the very beginning! We were keeping a secret from you in a hope to fire up your black blood when the time came!" Crona's heart jumped. "It's going to be okay! I'm so sorry! We were using you! But Crona, you need to promise me!" Another loud crash. "When you see Medusa, you cannot loose control! You have to remain strong!"

"W-What are you talking about!?" His heart was tied up in his chest as his breathing began to speed up, uncontrolled and rapid. "What change in plan!? What were you hiding from me!?" There was one last crash, before utter silence filled the room. He waited for a response, his heart pulsing in his forehead. "Miss. Marie!?" He shouted one last time. Once again, no answer. His hands began to shiver and shake. What was she hiding from him!? Why was she hiding things from him!? Why wasn't she answering him now!? A mixture of terror and anger filled his body, overflowing and turning his cheeks red.

A sudden sound from behind him perked his attention. It was small, yet trembled through the room. A giggle, dry and senseless, coming from another figure in the room. He knew exactly who was behind him. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. As soon as he turned around, he was going to lock eyes with her, and cut her clean in two. He would destroy her. He would slaughter her. He would not wait for anyone else to get here. His balled his fists, bracing himself to meet her once again, face to face.

"It seems as though your plan has failed. I do sincerely apologize. However, life must keep on moving. Now come here, come to your mother." She beckoned him over. Crona stopped on the spot

"You took away everything," his voice quivered in anger and anticipation. This was the woman who killed her. This was the monster to took away everything he had left to live for. "You stole me. You stole me from a normal life. You tortured me, destroyed me, and turned me into a monster. Then, you take the only ray of sunlight I had ever seen, and you crush it, yet you still have the audacity to call yourself my mother!? You bastard. How can you live with yourself?" He felt small droplets of water start to form at the corners of his eyes, "You couldn't stoop any lower even if you tried. You make me sick to look at. How do you even sleep at night, with everything you have done!?" He spun around, screwing his eyes closed, "You goddamn bitch! You are not my mother! You are an animal!"

She giggled. "I'd look again, if I were you." _What was she playing at!? What was she trying to trick me into!?_ He lifted his head, looking up at the witch before him, and allowing her new appearance to sink into his mind. She wore her regular jet-black attire, a hood over her head, hiding her face. The two white snake eyes on the top stared up at the roof, chilling his bones. The two snake tattoos on her arms had vanished, sent away to attack Miss. Marie. Her body was shorter, even shorter than his own, and her amber-blonde hair was only long enough to curl in front of her once or twice. She reached up and pulled the hood off of her head, revealing the rest of her. Her face. So familiar, but marred by those horrible evil eyes. So familiar… so familiar… It hit him.

_Maka!?_


	7. Chapter 7: Promise

Chapter 7: Promise

_What!? No, it wasn't real… it was a trick, an illusion! That's all it is! Nothing more, nothing less! Just an illusion! She was trying to trick him! It wasn't true! It couldn't be true! Oh gods, please let it not be true!_

Crona felt his legs weaken as Ragnarok retreated back inside of him. His eyes were wide and his entire body trembled in disbelief. It was too much for him to handle. He couldn't comprehend any of it! He was alone in a room, no way out, no hope of any of his friends rescuing him, and no hope of surviving. He was trapped, standing face to face with Medusa, the unbeatable witch, who was currently inside of Maka's body. He couldn't hurt her. After all this time, all this effort, all of these plans, it had all been a trick. It had all been a trap. His legs collapsed from underneath him as he was left keeling on the floor. Was it real?

"Do not doubt what your eyes tell you." She spat sternly, the words hitting him like a smack in the face. "Do not lie to yourself. You know what the truth is, and now, there is nothing you can do to stop me." His blood boiled in his veins as his mind fought away the desperate urge to rip her to shreds. She was right. He couldn't hurt her. If he hurt her, he would hurt Maka! "Why did you come here today?" A smug grin covered her face.

There was a deafeningly long pause, the swordsman desperately attempting to force the words out. He suddenly straightened up, staring her in the eye as his sharp blue met her cruel amber. "I'm here to kill you." There was no stutter, no hint of fear or dishonesty. "I'm here to kill you, and take Maka back!" His mind reeled with rage. He was going to have to be the one to carry out his own plan now. Suddenly, a small pinprick of his motivation was stolen from him as he heard her begin to chuckle.

"You're pathetic. Do you really think you can do both?" Her pupils narrowed at him, staring him down, "You must choose, here and now. I will give you two options. You can kill me, or you can save your precious little girlfriend. It is your choice." She smiled, her grin slowly widening. This was all a part of her plan. She knew he would have to choose Maka, and therefore, allow her to keep living. But what more did she have in store for him with this? What more was she playing at? What would he have to sacrifice in order to get her back? In the end, would it be worth it, or would she still be trapped here with him?

Could he do both? Medusa claimed that he couldn't, but was that really the truth? He allowed his head to fall down, contemplating his decision as the serpent before him waited patiently. What ever he chose now would change everything. He needed to choose both! He needed to save Maka, but he couldn't allow Medusa to continue on in this rampage! She was going to kill hundreds more innocent people, he was going to become her tool once more, and even worse, Maka might as well. But in the end, he couldn't loose her. She meant everything to him. Without her, his existence was empty, and in order to kill the witch, he would need to destroy her as well. No matter how much he could force his morals apon himself, he knew he could never turn a blade against her.

"Choose!" Medusa's voice boomed, echoing through the room. It wasn't out of her impatience, but out of her desire to drive Crona insane. She was like a wave beating against a stone. With each and every push, a little more of him is dragged away, until finally, she could destroy him with one little shove. With one last crash of the water, the rock would snap in half. Oh, and he was so close, so close to snapping. This was what she wanted all along. She wanted to see this. She wanted to finally watch as the black blood took it's final toll on the boy. He had already been infected with the acid of the Jormungandr, it wouldn't be long before his sanity was torn right from his grasp.

The battle inside of his mind continued, conflicting reasons smashing against eachother, shouting at him to make up his mind. There had to be another way! There just had to! No… stay calm, stay sane… he could feel it, the wavelength of the snake, communicating through the venom inside of him, eating away at his morals and pushing him to grasp onto the most desirable of exits. He wouldn't let out that easily. It was what she wanted. She wanted him to choose Maka. That's why she took her body. Stay sane… stay sane… he couldn't do it! He couldn't choose! The madness wavelength was eating away at him, he couldn't hold on for much longer. He needed to get away, he needed to retreat, but it was a trap. There was no way out this time. He was stuck between his madness and his morals, between justice and a future, between right and wrong, but deciding witch was witch was the grueling burden that was simply dragging him down further.

"Medusa!" Crona was snapped from his conflicts as a third and fourth being ran into the room, their wavelengths swelling in their chanting of charms. The snake witch turned to face her two cronies, both in the process of initiating their mutiny. Eruka's magical wavelength swelled up and interlocked with Free's as she continued making evasive maneuvers. What were they doing!? How did they think they could defeat her!? She could kill them both with a flick of her finger, dragging the snakes from their bodies and tearing them up. "We will no longer be your puppets!" Eruka screamed into the air, her eyes on fire with the glee of betrayal, the glee of freedom.

"Wrong move," Medusa chuckled, lifting up two of her fingers in preparation to call her snakes back to her. "Cease your attack this instant, or I will kill you." Crona stared, dumbstruck. She was going to kill them! No, he needed to do something! He would distract her! Pushing himself back up onto his feet, he launched himself at the witch, beckoning Ragnarok back into his hand. He swung the blade at her feet, making sure that if he hit something, he wouldn't hit it that badly. Quickly, Medusa swung around and dodged his attack, skidding across the floor as the swordsman picked his arms back up, trembling and shaking in preparation to strike. He made easy to dodge moves, making sure he didn't allow a scratch to fall apon his precious Maka. Anger bubbling in his chest, he let out a ferocious cry with each swing, attempting to contain her in order for Eruka and Free to make their move. Come on, just make it already! Please!

The black blood was getting worse and worse. He could feel it starting to rush faster and faster, pumping madness into his mind, causing a sadistic smile to run across his face. With every swing he made, he came closer and closer to sinking into her flesh, his desire to tear her to shreds still burning dormant in his body. He ached to once again feel his sword collide with flesh, he longed to smell the sweet sensation of blood once more, to put an end to his abuser. _No!_ He snapped himself back briefly, _If you harm her, you harm Maka! Pull yourself together!_

"Crona!" He heard Eruka shout, causing him to flutter back into reality, "You can defeat her now! We'll get you away from the Madness wavelength! Go now!" She shouted. What!? How were they going to separate him from the madness wavelength!? Jormungandr was in the other room! Even if he ran a mile from this castle, he could still feel the wavelength yanking at his poison! There was no way to destroy his wavelength. Now that it was inside of him, there was no escape.

"Stop now!" Medusa shouted, catching hold of her snakes within the frog witch's throat. Crona threw himself at her one last time as a sudden blinding white light filled his eyes. He shouted, taking a step backwards and covering his eyes in shock.

Gone. How!? The madness wavelength was gone! He blinked his eyes open, readjusting to the new lighting of the room with a squint. What happened? Did something bad happen!? No, please, don't let it be bad! He looked too and fro in confusion, still attempting to draw some understanding from this strange happening. His hands began to shake as he drew in more and more breath. The air here was eerily clean. The entire area had some air of tranquility. Well, at least for the moment.

It was in the middle of his thoughts and readapting that he felt the air around him go cold with dread. Something was missing. Something very important was missing from this area, right here, right now. It sent shivers down his spine at the realization, and his heart gave a fateful lurch. _Where was Medusa!?_

"Idiot! Turn around!" Ragnarok's shrieking voice rang through the emptiness. He didn't have to speak up. By the time the first word had left his sword's mouth, the meister had already flung himself up and around in defense. He lifted the sword to her as she closed in at breakneck speed, launching her attack at him from behind. She had gotten up fast! He barricaded her arrow from hitting his body with the sword, sparks beginning to fly out from the contact of the two strikes. Her single arrow remained firmly attached to the palm of her hand as she continued to press down on the swordsman's tiring arm.

Strained, he lifted his second hand up to push her attack backwards. This wasn't a good position. He needed to get out of this attack! Small beads of sweat began to form on his forehead as his body, still weak from blood loss, began to tremble exponentially. He gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes closed, pushing with all his might. He needed to find some kind of blood attack to use, though he had not been cut once in either of his battles. The only damage done was internal. That was the only damage he couldn't fight with. Even the bite from the serpent would be too risky to use as a basis for a blood attack. _Oh gods, I need to attack!_

His eyes flew open at a slight change in the snake witch's magical wavelength. He looked over to find a swelling ball of reddish light, surrounded by electrical discharge, beginning to form in her hand. He knew that if that hit him, he was dead. That one move would disconnect his and Ragnarok's wavelengths, and he couldn't use blood moves, block, harden his blood, or do anything. With one last heave of strength, he swung Ragnarok over top of Medusa's arrow, slamming her arm sideways as he ducked out of the way of her second arm. He skidded away from her as fast as he could, kicking her legs from under her and gaining distance between the two. This wasn't good. As soon as she had been hit down, she had caught herself with one large vector arrow, protruding from her back. Her hand still glowed with the slowly building attack.

He saw it now. He understood what Eruka and Free had done. In order to save themselves from Medusa's Snakes and to disconnect Crona from Jormungandr's madness wavelength, they had encased the two in a spatial magic casing. Eruka had used her Magic Calculation as Free Preformed his Independent Cube attack. Crona had seen it once before, that one day nearly a year ago when Maka had first reached out to him. And now here he was, trying to free her. The irony chilled his mind, but gave him a slight boost of enthusiasm.

"Watch it, dumbass! She's coming back!" Ragnarok shouted again as Crona ducked away once more. He couldn't attack, he could only block or dodge. He couldn't risk harming Maka's body for anything. Eruka and Free had given him a chance to defeat Medusa and save Maka, instead of him having to make the choice. The serpent witch moved her hand down on him, preparing to launch her wavelength into him, but he saw it coming and kicked himself forwards and out of her way.

Dread dug it's way into his heart as he heard the witch speak, "Vector Plate!" She shouted, as a large, black arrow found it's way underneath him, pointing backwards towards the serpent. The meister gasped as he was thrown backwards by a rush of air, the ground moving underneath him and flinging him right into the grasps of that horrible witch. He struggled to land on his feet, falling backwards onto his back as several more Vector Plate's surrounded him, Medusa being launched from one to the other, making her way behind him once more. Picking himself off the ground, he knew she was behind him now. Out of pure adrenalin, he swung around, lashing his sword out at her and raking over the palm of her hand, thick, red blood shooting out and filling the room with a horrible metallic smell. He retreated back a few steps before realizing what he had done. He gasped, staring at the small pool of blood that was now accumulating on the floor of the cube below her, a huge, sadistic grin spread across her face as their gazes locked.

_Shit! I just cut Maka!_ His breathing grew rapid as his eyes were drawn to the horrendous wound on the girl's palm. He wanted to slap himself in regret, but he knew that would do him no good at all. He was in combat, this was no time for self-loathing! He cringed as he watched the witch hold it out to the open. She would not attempt one bit to stop the bleeding. If anything, she would probably attempt to make it worse. What was he going to do!? How was he going to win this!? Eruka and Free should have waited! They should have waited until Miss. Marie had defeated the Jormungandr and come to help! They could have defeated in one swing then!

"Vector arrow!" Medusa shouted as a squared pattern of black arrows flew towards the swordsman. He gasped.

"Screech Alpha!" This was his chance to get in close. If he could get in closer, perhaps he could find some kind of weakness that could help him to drive Medusa from Maka's body! The two attacks collided dangerously close to him, but gave him the chance to make his way around towards his opponent. He needed to get close before the dust cloud cleared. And just to his luck, he managed to find his way behind her. Now he had the upper ground. In any other battle, this would the perfect move, the perfect chance to slice down apon the enemy and finish them, but in this battle, he had just screwed himself. He couldn't deal any damage, and with plenty of ability to turn around, Medusa could as easily corner him as she could stare at him.

"Vector Storm!" Medusa didn't even bother to turn around before a huge spiral of arrows shot up from the ground, launching them both up into the air. She calculated her landing point and spread out her arms, touching the ground with her hands lightly before she was spun around in one last jump. She landed on her feet, spun around to face the swordsman's agony with welcoming eyes. Crona let out a cry of surprise, pain, and frustration as the arrows continued to drag him upwards before finally, they vanished, retreating back into the ground. He couldn't land! He didn't know how! He hit the ground heavily, his side smacking against the marble-like ground. He coughed, the wind knocked clean out of him as he struggled to pick himself off the ground once more. _More internal damage._

"Now, Crona," Medusa's voice caught his attention, "Why are you so persistent? You do realize you were locked in here in high hopes of killing me, do you not?" A huge, devilish grin was plastered on her face. "Why do you care if one person dies? Why do you care if one last person is gone, if the alternative is hundreds of people!? She makes you feel better about yourself? How selfish."

"I-It's not-!" Crona's voice came out strangled and quiet.

"You are using her for your own self gain. The only reason you want to save her is so that you can feel better! So then tell me, why don't you save her? Why don't you simply come by my side and take her back?" Crona paused. He had the words, they just wouldn't come out. "No answer?"

"B-because," Medusa frowned, "B-b-because, I didn't want her to suffer like I did!"

"Why?" There was no smirk in her voice this time. Crona didn't answer. His stare was enough. His stare, intense and persistent seemed to burn holes through the witch. He could tell she understood. She suddenly lifted her hand up to her mouth and snickered, before tilting her head back and letting out a horrible, ringing laugh. "Don't tell me you actually care for her, do you!?" Her eyes narrowed in delight, "Oh, if only you were born right, born a witch, you wouldn't have to suffer through these petty disturbances!"

"Fine! I do!" He choked out, "I love her, and there's nothing you can say to make me not! You do not know what it is! You're a witch! You can't love!" He shouted, anger flaring up in his chest, "Maybe if you were born right, a human, you wouldn't be such a heartless thrown around bitch!" The more anger he exerted, the larger her smile seemed to grow.

"Oh, Crona." She sighed, "There was once a man I came across who taught me a very important lesson. He told me that this thing called 'love' was fake. It is not a real emotion, merely a concept. This concept is nothing more than a stupid daydream." Her head dipped so her eyes were no longer visible under her bangs. "Time to wake up!"

She launched herself at him, still grinning, and shot another bunch of arrows right from her still bleeding palm. "Ragnarok!" He shouted in terror towards the small demon. Crona lifted his sword once more, gritting his teeth as the arrows raked across his side. His hardened blood stopped a couple where they landed, the rest skidding past him and flinging his blood into the air. Now was his chance. "Bloody Needle!" He shouted, the small droplets beginning to form their attack in mid-air. Medusa stood stationary, waiting for the attack. Crona waited, knowing that this attack would be ineffective against Maka. Her Grigori soul would counter the Black Blood easily, and the punctures were all aimed at her legs anyways. He cringed in preparation. _Please dodge the attack!_ He hoped. To his luck, and his misfortune, the snake witch shot herself upwards as the blood spiked up, the attack missing and the witch preparing another soul wavelength.

He couldn't block it, but it couldn't hit him either! He couldn't continue to dodge it for long, what was he going to do!? "_Ragnarok!"_ He attempted to communicate with him in his mind, "_What do we do!?"_ She attacked, the swordsman just barley jumping out of the way in time.

"_You mean you flung yourself into this goddamn fight with no plan, no trump card, and absolutely no hope of winning!? I assume you're coming up with something!"_ He resonated back, his voice ringing harshly in Crona's mind.

_"I don't know what we can do! Ragnarok, I need to know!"_

_"It's okay, spaz! Just follow the plan! You have a plan, right!?"_

_"I do, but it's borderline suicidal!"_

_"Isn't everything you do!? Fine, fine, it's better than nothing, I guess! What the hell is it!?"_

_"I'm going to let her hit us with her wavelength!"_ Crona could feel Ragnarok tense up at those words.

_"You're going to do what!? That's not suicidal, that's just plain stupid!"_ Ragnarok was right. It was stupid. What a fast thought up plan. However, it was better than being smacked around and slaughtered until the spell wore off.

_"There's a reason though! If she hits us, our wavelengths will separate! I'm going to use that chance to lock onto Maka's wavelength, and try to get inside her soul!"_

_"What you're just going to leave me here in your motionless body!? Hell no! I'll be slaughtered in seconds! Besides, what do you plan to do once you're inside her soul!?"_

There was a pause. _"No idea."_ Ragnarok laughed a throaty, sarcastic laugh. _Ragnarok, the reason I need to tell you this is because I need your help. In order to enter my soul. Maka had to gain my madness by using the black blood. In order for me to enter her soul, I'm going to have to get rid of the madness she lacks."_

_"Pardon!?"_ Ragnarok spat.

_"Once my soul is resonating with hers, I'm giving you full control over my body. Don't hurt Maka, but keep the fight going until I can get back!"_ Medusa was getting closer and closer with each swing of her arm, soon, she would collide with them.

_"Does that even work!?"_ Ragnarok's voice carried many emotions, but through them all, Crona could tell that he wasn't happy.

Crona paused once more before speaking, this time out loud. "We're about to find out." Medusa flung herself one last time at him, barricading his exit with many upright arrows. "Now, Ragnarok!" Crona felt her wavelength shoot through him, rattling his mind and ripping the two apart from eachother. Crona instantaneously let go of the demon's wavelength, searching for one last soul.

Where was it? It had to be here somewhere. See past her… see past the witch… He felt it. Small, weak, and faint, nearly latched directly onto Medusa's wavelength, but it was still there. It was still alive and active. Now was the time. Now was his time to go in, and now was his time to save her. What would he find when he entered? In all honesty, he had no idea. He didn't know what was happening outside of his body, or what he would do once he was inside of her soul. He was just going to have to wait and see what would happen, then follow along. That was his style. It was stupid, dangerous, and pathetically unprofessional, but that's how he made it through life so far. But there was one other thing that allowed him to make it through life.

Dependence. Dependence on others to make the first move so he could follow. Dependence for others to tell him what to do, dependence of people to show him what is right and what is wrong but now, he had left Ragnarok behind. He was alone. Unless stuck in his dreams, or within his soul, he was never alone. He was much too dependent on others to make his way through things on his own, and that is why he didn't know how to deal with certain kinds of things. But not now. He couldn't let himself fall into this kind of mental torture. He had to stay strong. That's what he promised Maka. He would never break that promise. Of course, that was because he loved her. What about what Medusa said? She said that there was no such thing as love, and what's worse, Maka believed it too. Was it worth fighting for something you want but can never have?

He felt her wavelength; calming, kind, tranquil, consoling, but at the same time dangerous and determined. _A comrade that can never be lost._ He had heard Stein use it several times in describing his relationship with her. Such strangely wise words, with a meaning so complex, it could take years to riddle out. _Riddle._ He had a feeling. The answer to both of the riddles could be exactly the same. He was sure, in fact, that they were. He pulled himself in closer to her wavelength, latching onto her state before slowly pulling himself inside.

His head hurt as he struggled to find control in this new body. Come on, you can do it! His head spun as he slowly placed his palms on the ground, spreading out his lanky fingers in an attempt to get a feel for them. Unsure, he remained on the spot, laying on his belly with his chin placed on the ground, as he allowed his new eyes to explore the situation. _Dammit! How the hell does Crona expect me to stand up!? He knows I haven't walked on legs for… hell a few decades or a few centuries!_ He gritted his teeth at the thought and began to move his legs up and down, bending them at the knee and flexing his toes in Crona's boots. They had completely opposite builds, and to get used to this new body would very likely take forever. However, he didn't have forever.

The only good thing about the situation was that he could still harden the black blood and use other attacks such as that, as well Medusa's Soul wavelength attack doesn't matter anymore. If worse comes to worse, he could simply allow himself- _Crona_ -to be thrown around until he returns to his own body. How was he going to get back into his own body? _Honestly, did that useless piece of crap think this through at all before ditching him here!?_ Ragnarok growled in frustration as he began to push himself up, off the ground.

On the other side of the room, Medusa too was busy picking herself up. She knew what had happened, and she knew why. Ragnarok could tell from the look on her face that she was not happy with him. Somehow, however, when she had launched her attack, it rebounded. How else could she have been shot across the rom like that? Not paying attention, he fell back onto his elbow, barley catching himself as he struggled to stand up. He remained on his hands and knees now, finding his way through every part of his body.

He now knew everything about Crona's body, and he was never going to let this go. Over and over he was going to tease him about all of this. _Is he always really this hungry!? Well it makes sense, he's so skinny I can feel his ribs! Also this robe is uncomfortable as hell. Why would he wear this still!? It's stupid and actually kind of revealing! And geese, he needs to do something about his fat ass! Oh man, I'm never going to let him live down these things! _His attention snapped back suddenly at Medusa's voice.

"Vector Arrow!" She shouted, several arrows erupting from behind her and slamming into Ragnarok, flinging him against the wall. He hardened his Black Blood just in time, but felt himself get winded as he fell down from his impact. _One more thing to add to the list, Crona is really easy to hurt! What a fricking softie!_ He pushed himself up once more, this time making further ground, only to be thrown across the room once more. "Vector Plate!" Medusa had shouted, a black arrow materializing underneath him and shooting against the opposite wall.

This time, he straightened himself up, struggling to find balance as he attempted to stand. Of course, once again, his attempt was short-lived as Medusa crashed another attack right into his body. He was flung up into the air by a Vector Storm, and fell right back down to the ground, landing ungracefully. "Dammit, witch! Give me a chance to stand up!" Ragnarok's voice choked out.

"Oh, so it is you, Ragnarok," She grinned, "I was wondering what had gotten into you. I though I had crippled you or something, but no. You simply crippled yourself." An arrow appeared on the back of her wrist, extending just beyond her hand as she prepared to strike. Ragnarok spread Crona's legs apart slightly, waving his arms in an attempt to find balance. He hardened his black blood and waited for the attack, as venerable as a trapped rabbit. The arrow slammed into Crona's stomach, causing Ragnarok to buckle slightly, but he used this close range to his advantage. With both of his-Crona's- arms, he gripped onto Medusa's shoulders and brought his knee upwards, colliding it with her stomach, just underneath her ribs. She gasped and pushed herself backwards at Ragnarok's strength. He may have been in a weakling's body, but he still had his own power. He drew his fist backwards and swung it up, slamming into the same spot his knee had, fully winding her. With his opposite fist, he prepared to swing one last time while he had her off guard. _Not as hard this time, but enough to get her off!_ He knew that Crona would be upset if he found out that Ragnarok had hurt Maka. But at the same time, he was glad he finally got to inflict some amount of pain onto that hideous cow! Gods, she annoyed him!

"I've always wanted to do this!" He shouted as his fist struck the witch's face, crashing into her cheek and flinging her down. "Forget what Crona says, I'm keeping me alive first!" He added to himself before turning to look at Medusa, picking herself off the ground with a dissatisfied look on her face. He smiled as she wiped a small drop of blood off her busted lip. "Oh," He chuckled, "It's on now!"

Crona blinked open his eyes. He was inside Maka's soul now. He could feel it. He could feel her presence. He could feel the eeriness of the situation as its jaws slowly clamped around him. He was in her soul, but she was nowhere to be seen. What was this place, anyways? It didn't seem right! This didn't seem like her soul. It was corrupted. It was taken over. Medusa was here too. He could sense it. He could sense her presence somewhere here. But then again, where exactly was 'Here'?

He was in a room. He was in an enormous, burgundy room with floors of black marble and walls lined with red pillars. The walls themselves were a very rusty red, almost brown. Small tables rested here and there, most of them tipped over, the vases or clocks or photographs that had been rested atop scattered onto the floor. Behind him was a set of large, shimmering, black doors, taller than a tree and glistening with the dim, yellow light that fell from the crystal chandelier as it rocked back and forth. There were two large windows, one on either side, and both with wooden shutters closed. All three exits were marred with a large, grey chain, wrapping around the handles and locked up with a large, rusty lock. There was no way out. Something here was terribly wrong.

He shuddered as he picked himself up, looking in front of him at the enormous, red-carpeted stairway. The stairs were long and in an arc, getting smaller and smaller as they reached the top. They were lined with a large, shined handrail. He walked up to one side, his hand grazing over the rail as he began to walk up the steps, his shoes clicking on each and every one as slowly he made his way up. A slight imperfection in the shine caught his gaze, and showed a mar presented as disturbingly concerning. Three large marks cut their way through the sweetly shined wood, as though some terrifying beast had torn through here. That along with the still swinging chandelier, tipped over vases and chained up exits alerted him that this place had been altered. Medusa had somehow torn through her soul, and used it to create Maka's prison. But then… how did he get in? _The doors and windows were locked from the inside._ He gulped, looking from side to side and attempting to connect the flaws to prepare himself further.

Again. There were more scratches on the railing. The further he climbed, the more frequent they became. His breathing picked up, getting caught in his throat several times before he finally made it to the top. He could hear his heart thumping in his ears. _Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum._ This wasn't good. At the top of the stairs, there were two separate hallways. Both of them lead to complete darkness. In front of him, on the wall however, there were what appeared to be, in paint, arrows. They all sprouted up from the ground, traveling in jagged lines before all pointing to the hall on the right. A couple of arrows seemed to have sprouted off to the left, but they ended before the point, leaving a large gash in the wall. The most concerning part about these gashes were the small streams of blood that were trickling down the wall from them, as if the arrows had been something real and alive.

All of the living arrows pointed right. That was the most obvious choice. However, it could very likely be a trap. What did he do!? Oh, gods, what should he do!? He was wasting time, he needed to find Maka and fast. Who knew how much time Ragnarok could last in his body. If he dies in this battle, everything is going to hell. He tried his hardest to clear his mind of the outside thoughts, looking purely towards the arrows. The right side. He was on his own now, he didn't know how to deal with this kind of things. But he needs to be strong and make his own decisions now. His life, and Maka's, depended on it. He swallowed hard, before turning and beginning to walk towards the right hallway. He had only taken three steps before he heard her voice. He couldn't tell what she was saying, but she was saying something. It was coming from the left hallway. _Maka!_

He took off, running as fast as he could down the hall. It slowly became darker and darker, and before he knew it, it was nearly pitch black. He panted, looking from side to side as he felt the walls around him, leading him down the hall, and to wherever the hall would lead him. "Maka!" He shouted, taking off once more down a straight hallway, "Maka, where are you!?" He was becoming increasingly panicked. Where was she!? He had just hear her, she couldn't be far! Did he take a wrong turn? No, he couldn't have! The hall only leads one way!

"Crona…" Her voice was incredibly faint. He could barley hear it over the sound of his own breathing, but he was able to make it out this time. She was still up ahead!

"Don't worry, Maka! I-I'm coming!" He took off down the halls again, crashing into the walls each time a turn presented itself. He didn't stop running, he couldn't! She was down here somewhere, he knew it! He heard her! The hallway was slowly getting lighter. A slight dim light shone from something up ahead. His heartbeat picked up in hope as he made his way towards the source of the light, slowly getting closer and closer. There was a large green door rested at the end of the hall. A bright, yellow, soothing light peaked its way out from the crack under the door. Should he enter? Something told him he shouldn't. But he had too! Maka was in there!

He reached up towards the door handle and prepared to push it open when he heard Maka's voice from inside. "You are not even going to knock first?" She spoke. Crona stopped, taken slightly aback. Did she not want him in the room? Or did she not want him to see what was in the room? He lifted up his hand and grabbed onto the large, golden knocker and slammed it down twice.

"Maka, can I come in now? Please?" His voice was frantic. He needed to see that she was alright!

"You cannot!" She seemed to snap. Crona took a step back, put off. What was she saying!?

"Maka! I'm here to save you! I'm here to take you back!" His voice was trembling. She didn't know what she was saying! She was delusional, or hexed! He needed to help her!

"You aren't the one who should have come." Her voice was deep and angry. "I was waiting for someone else to come. Someone better than you, and yet you still come here claiming that you want to help me? You're pathetic, and you are not the one I want." Crona felt his heart lurch in his chest as his stomach tied up into a knot.

"Maka!" He yanked on the doorknob only to find it locked, "This isn't you! You would never say these things! Please, let me in! I can help you!" Swallowing the lump in his throat, he slammed himself against the door.

"Where is Soul? Did he come with you?"

"What? N-No, he didn't! But Maka-"

"Then leave! I do not want to see you!"

Crona gasped as a tiny sound slowly enveloped the room. It was low and quiet, the sound of something as it trickled into the hallway. He froze and turned around, pressing his back against the door and feeling his shoulder blades meet the hard wood. His mind started to reel and he began feeling faint.

"This is my soul, you know." Maka spoke to him, "If I want you out, I can get you out." At those words he felt a slow trickled of a liquid as it fell onto his shoulder. He gasped and spun around, staring at the substance as the flow increased in speed. It dripped from the roof, trickling and slowly becoming a stream. Other small patches of the roof looked as though they were rotting as the substance made it's way out. It was black. Pure black. It began to form a puddle around his feet, slowly filling up the ground of the hallway until as far as he saw was covered in a layer of the black liquid.

"Maka! No! Please! You have to come out of here with me! If you don't, you'll never see Soul again!" He hoped and prayed that she would finally open up the door and come out, that she would come home with him. But at the same time, his heart seemed to have sank to the ground. She didn't love him, he had always knew that, it was the fact that she loved someone else that haunted him, and was the fact that she broke it to him so harshly. She would have never done that, but at the same time, for all of his blunders, he deserved it. He made a promise though. His comrade that could never be lost, he was never going to loose her. He was going to protect her to the day he dies, and he was never going to break that promise! Where was she!? Where was her answer!?

His breathing picked up as slowly the wall began to turn the dark, ebony black, stained by the rot that the black fluid was filling it with. It's dark, gross stench filled his nostrils as the liquid lapped up against the tables in the hallway, eating away at their fragile legs. He looked down in horror to find that the liquid was already two inches deep, more and more pooling in and filling the entire hallway. It blocked off the light from below the door, leaving only the tiniest bit of white light to give Crona a brief Idea of where things were. He stepped out of the liquid, moving through it like water as he made his way to one of the tables. He didn't know why, but something was telling him that there was something inside of it, something that could help him!

He felt a drop begin to dampen his hair as he felt the wood of the table, finding the metal handle and pulling the drawer open. The first thing he found was an unlit lantern, old fashioned and rusted. The second, to his saving grace was a box of matches. Something had come here, just in that one-or two, he truly wasn't sure- minuets, and gave him something he needed. With shaking hands, he felt his way around the matches, breaking one out of the set and raking it across the side of the table. He didn't have time to find the wick on the box, he needed to see now! His fingers convulsed as he continued to move the tip across the table, his panting becoming more rapid and sweat beading on his forehead. Eventually, with one last flick of the match, sparks flew into the air and a large, warm fire glowed brightly on the end of the stick, slowly traveling further and further down towards his fingers. Quickly, he opened up the little hinge on the lantern and lit the piece of rope inside. The swordsman snuffed out the match and held up the lantern in fear, the liquid now past his ankles.

He gasped at what he saw. Written on the walls in another liquid, this time red, were several horrifying messages.

_Wrong way._

_Don't drown._

_Go back!_

_She's not me._

_Run fast!_

_Keep going!_

And the most haunting one of all: _Help me._ Not to mention there was a symbol written on the wall, a strange, choppy symbol, the red, metallic fluid dripping from where it was placed. It looked like a large X over top of an incomplete circle, breaking to show the face of a snake, coiled around to what appeared to be it's tail on the other side. Just below it was an arrow, pointing towards what appeared to be three vertical eyes. He shuddered.

Quickly, he turned back to the table in the middle of the room, staring back into the drawer. There didn't seem to be anything else… wait. No, there was something at the back of the drawer! It looked to be a small object, concealed in the black liquid. He reached in, flinching slightly as his fingers touched the mass, before he dug into it and pulled out the small object inside. Lifting up his lantern to shine of the article, he observed it. It was a small, metallic, golden key. _A Key! Why was it hidden!? Could this possibly be the key to that door?_ He looked back at the green door, observing its handle before trudging through the deepening black mass. He felt it again. It was the same strange urge, only this time, it felt desperate. Something was telling him not to open that door. No, he had to see her!

Without another moment's hesitation, he stuck the key into the keyhole and turned it, a click echoing out into the drowning hall. He grabbed the handle and pried the entrance open, only to be met with a waterfall of the black fluid. It rolled him over, swallowing him up as it filled the hallway. The lantern extinguished and broke as he slammed against the ground. He had no breath left in his lungs, and he knew that if he sucked in now, he would choke to death. The flow of the current dragged him along the floor until he eventually grabbed hold of the surface, pulling himself upright and kicking off against the hardwood, rocketing himself up towards the surface.

As soon as his face met the air, he coughed and gaged, gasping for air. He was soaked and pulled down by the sticky, hot fluid as he fought to stay afloat. The fact that he could touch the ceiling with his hands was incredibly concerning. He needed to get out of here, but would he have enough time!? Where was Maka? Was she still in the other room!? She had to be! Where else could she be!? He turned back to find that the door had been swung closed again. He kicked his legs, gaging on the bitter taste of the now recognizable liquid.

Blood.

The door was mostly submerged, only a few inches at the top still visible. Taking a deep breath, he submerged himself in the black blood, feeling the door in hope of finding the doorknob. When he finally felt his hand grasp around the warm metal, he turned once again, and pulled. _No… NO! It can't be locked!_ He had dropped the key. He pushed himself back up to the surface, the tides of blood from the roof and wall now sending sprays of the liquid all around him. It was filling up faster, and at this speed, he would never make it down the hall. He could stay here, and allow himself to become enveloped in the black. Yes, that's what he wanted to do. He had failed her. He had broken his promise. He couldn't save her. He was worth nothing now. He could simply slip away into nothingness…

_Keep going!_

What?

_Keep Going!_

The only message left visible. It shimmered in red on the wall, untouched and high enough that the black blood hadn't eaten it yet. Was that for him to read…now? He had to keep going! Something told him that he had to! In the end, he couldn't loose Maka, and let Medusa live! If he couldn't find her here, then at least he could avenge her!

And at that, he kicked off, swimming as fast as he could through the now thickening liquid, pulling his arms up every now and again to propel himself further. His entire body was soaked to the bone. His hair, his face, his robe, his shoes, everything. The smell was starting to make him feel ill as he used the small bars arching across the roof to pull him along. He needed to go faster! At the time he came to the second turn in the hallway, he could no longer breath from his mouth. The blood was now so high that if his head touched the roof, it would be nearly up to his nose. He had to duck under each archway, slowing him down immensely, not to mention that he couldn't see a thing. He ran into walls, slammed into corners and gagged on the horrible liquid.

Before he knew it, he was submerged entirely. There was no way out. No! He had to keep swimming! He had to! He kicked his legs as hard as he could, blindly finding his way through the hallways, feeling around the walls and corners as his lungs slowly tightened. He could feel his arms and legs slowly becoming more and more lazy as his lungs fought desperately for air. He was going to drown! He was going to drown in the black blood! He scrunched up his face, forcing himself to keep on moving as he kicked his legs… one after the other… slowly but surely… making it to… nowhere.

He felt his head slam against something hard. Bringing his hands up to the swelling pain, he felt himself becoming very faint. Any moment now, he would drop dead. His slow moving hands reached out in one last attempt to find out where he was. He couldn't die yet… not after everything he had done to come here! He felt the wood of what he had hit. Stairs!? He hit stairs!? Quickly and helplessly, he grasped onto the wood and pulled himself towards it, placing his feet on the nearest step and, with what little strength remained, kicked off of it. He paddled quickly, his body feeling hollow in lack of breath as finally, he felt the air.

His mouth flew open as he gasped, his weak arms struggling to keep him afloat. He opened his eyes, the vision slowly going from fuzzy dots to a clear image once again. He heaved out the air before taking another deep breath, filling his lungs with oxygen again. Coughing and sputtering, he pulled himself towards where the blood had reached on the stairs and laid against the wood. His chest heaved in exhaustion as he sucked in air again and again, every exhale turning into a fit of sickly coughs. He needed to rest. He couldn't do anything anymore. He was too weak, too tired. He had gone from coughing up blood to almost drowning in it, and it had slowly taken its toll on him. That's what Medusa wanted. She wanted to wear him down before he had to face her so that he would be easy to kill; or, easy to manipulate.

To his horror and dismay, he realized that the level of the blood was still slowly rising. Quickly he shoved himself up off the step he was on and onto his feet. His knees wobbled as he began to crawl up the last of the steps. Would it ever stop following him!? No. That was black blood for you. You are never safe. Not even inside a Grigori soul. He looked up at the rest of the stairs. There were a lot of them. That was good, though. That meant he could outrun the blood, and use that head start to gain some rest at the top. But where was he!? That still remained a mystery. _Maybe it's like Medusa's palace. Maybe the layout changes, perhaps without warning!_ He crawled, one step at a time, his robe heavy and sticking to his body as he heaved himself upwards. It took a couple of minuets for him to finally catch his breath, but it left an awful ache in his lungs and kept his arms and legs weak and shaky.

This was torture. It was killing him slowly, steadily… he found his way to the top of the stairs, dragging himself onto the landing and laying down on the floor, resting himself. His skin itched and burned like a rash as he felt the blood slowly begin to dig into him. He cringed and rang out his hair and robe as best he could, pulling up the end slightly to view his legs. They were slowly turning red with irritation, prickling with the slightest bits of pain. Exhausted and beaten down, the swordsman picked himself off the ground and began to walk down the newly presented hall. At the end of it was a door. A door! That could be a way out! pushing his legs as fast as they could go, he hobbled over to the wooden exit. He grasped onto the door handle and pushed it open, racing outside of it and slamming it closed.

He was safe. The blood was gone. It couldn't drown him anymore. Right now he needed to focus on finding Medusa and getting her out of Maka's soul! He was on a balcony, a thin, indoor balcony with two sets of stairs leading off of it. Resting against the railing, he looked down at the ground below him. _What!?_ He was back in the entryway. "What did…" he turned around, short of breath to look at the door, only to find it absent from the spot on the wall where it had been. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he began to make his way down the balcony's stairs. Making his way down and back around to the grand staircase, he eyed down the arrows at the top. They all still pointed to the right, the one hallway he hadn't gone down. A few more arrows sprouting to the left had been cut down, in fact, the entire left entry had been closed off by a thick, winding door made of the wide, black vines. Thorns spiked off at each twist and turn of the plant, giving it a menacing, but strong look.

He didn't understand! Why would the arrows point him in the right direction!? Perhaps they were pointing towards Medusa, and the other door was towards Maka, and that's why Medusa had blocked off the door. But then, why had Maka tried to kill him!? And why had he been saved, or warned!? He was so confused. He didn't understand what was happening, or what was going to happen. He was so confused, he was so scared. That wasn't good.

Shaking, he slowly made his way down the right hallway. This one was much better lit, with candles on the wall every few feet. Its polished wooden floorboards creaked ever so slightly with every step Crona made. He was taking too much time. Who knew how Ragnarok was going battling outside of this world. Crona wouldn't be able to find out. After all, he was stuck here until he could free Maka. He took a deep breath, observing the bare, glowing, red walls as he continued forwards. Though it was still eerie, this hallway gave a much more homey sense than the other.

Then it happened. He came to a fork in the road. He could either turn right or continue walking forwards. He raised his shivering hand up to grasp his opposite arm, his shoulders curling inwards. "H-Hello?" He called out, looking for some kind of answer. Was this… no, it couldn't be. It would be too cruel. He didn't have enough time to find his way through a maze. He continued forwards, only to later come across a second fork in the road. He wouldn't let it distract him, so he continued walking forwards. However, his worst fears popped up right then and there as he reached a dead end. It was a maze after all. In aggravation, he spun around and began running down the hallways, his shoes clacking against the wood as he turned at the nearest fork.

And slowly but surely he made his way through the maze, each wrong turn, each dead end slowly wearing away at his patience until finally, he saw something. He saw it just out of the corner of his eye. It was a large, green door, much like the one at the end of the other hall. It shone in gleeful welcome, but he knew that what he was to find on the other side of that door wouldn't be pleasant. Would it be a trick? A gag to wear away at his forbearance further? To get him to a venerable point? He swallowed down hard, resting his hand on the door. He felt two conflicting emotions from inside. One was of pleading, the other of a sly welcoming. He shuddered and prepared to push open the door, only to find that it began to move itself. It swung inwards and revealed a large, dimly lit room, furniture scattered and thrown everywhere.

There were stacks of boxes and bins lining every wall with a large chandelier, much like the one in the entry, in the center of the room, lighting it up. Couches and bedframes were scattered and tossed on the floor, ripped and bent up. Chairs and tables were smashed into sticks and sheets and blinds were thrown and ripped. It looked like a rabid animal had rampaged through here and left, and it almost reminded Crona of the school's storage room.

_Where they had kissed._

The only thing in the room that wasn't upturned was a large desk in the middle of the room with what looked to be a crystal ball on top of it. He couldn't see much more at the state he was at, but he braced himself, for he knew that any moment now he may need to thrust himself into the heat of battle. There was only one thing he was sure about in this moment. Medusa was in this room.

_"Vector Plate."_ The voice sounded from across the room as a black arrow appeared under Crona's feet. His heart jumped and he let out a surprised cry as he was shot across the room, smacking into a chair that was tipped sideways as he rolled over the ground. He skidded, landing ungracefully on his front as he tried to pick himself up. His legs were wobbly and his head was still spinning as the sound of bare feet slapping on the tile sounded off from right beside him. Before he had the chance to haul himself up, a large, bony foot crashed unto his back, pushing him to the ground and holding him down.

He looked up, his brow covered in sweat, and his entire body trembling. He knew who was stepping on him right now. The swordsman lifted his head to look up at the sharp, amber bulbs in the snake witch's skull. Now in her full, original form, in her own body, Medusa stood before him with her arms crossed over eachother, a small yet equally disturbing smile spread across her face.

"Well, well. Look who it is," She cooed devilishly, "You truly are desperate." Enraged, the swordsman didn't hesitate to throw his arms up, wrapping them around the witch's leg and throwing her down. He launched himself onto his feet, keeping a firm grasp on her leg as her back slammed against the ground. She simply stayed still and smiled, unfazed. "I see you are upset with me." She swung her arms around, her hands meeting the ground behind her as she swung her lower body upwards, dragging Crona along with it. He landed on his hands and knees, quickly picking himself up to face the snake, who had landed with her back facing him. He could feel anger and ambition surge up in his chest, adrenalin pumping in his veins as he grabbed her shoulders from behind her and drove his knee into her back. It gave a satisfying buckle as she swung back around, throwing him off of her once more. He was prepared for it this time, and as soon as his hands left her shoulders, they were underneath him, preparing to catch him. He landed on his feet, kicking off the ground to gain a boost of speed as he rushed towards her.

With a cry of anticipation, he balled his hand up into a tight fist and swung it around in an arc. It slammed into the witch's face, the feeling of the impact bringing gratification to Crona's longing. With his other fist he hit her again. And again. And again. He hit her over and over and over, each one landing square on the mark. On the cheek. On the nose. On the stomach. On the ribs. Each time it brought more and more satisfaction to his sadistically hungry mind, yet at the same time, her lack of movement worried him. Her lack of attacks was concerning, as was her lack of defenses, and her lack of expression. Crona's arms were slowly becoming tired, only discouraged due to the obvious trick. He stopped, taking a step back, and staring back at the still unfazed witch. He could tell that he had hurt her, but he could tell that she wasn't about to show him that. His breathing was heavy and his knuckles were sore as small beads of sweat made their way down his face.

"Are you done now?" Medusa chuckled. Crona looked up, a look of anger marring his face, still covered in dried up bits of the black blood. "Good." At that word, Crona was buffeted by a storm of arrows from the ground, throwing him into the air and battering his skin. He let out another surprised cry, cut short when the arrows vanished into the ground, leaving him to fall back down to the ground. What a pathetic way to beat down your opponents. However, it was with one heavy smack to his side that Crona realized she wasn't beating him down, but playing with him. She had picked up a chair, and on Crona's decent, had used it to smack him away from her like a baseball. It hit his ribcage hard, buckling his spine and knocking the wind from his already weakened lungs as he was thrown once more. He landed this time on his side, hitting his arm against the cold marble and leaving him mere meters from the desk with the crystal ball on it.

He lifted his head up, the object catching his eye and begging for him to observe it. When his eyes met the strange sphere, he did not find anything as he expected. His heart lurched to his throat and his stomach felt as though it had fallen through the floor. The crystal ball was not a window, but a cage; a container; and its contents were composed of a small person. She looked as though she had been shrunk down, down to about the size of a mouse… a large mouse… or perhaps the size of a rabbit. _A Rabbit_. She wore a white dress shirt and a striped green tie with a yellow sweater-vest over top, and a plaid mini-skirt. Her hair was done up in two perfect pigtails and her crystal green eyes shone out at him with dismay and worry as her tiny fists hammered against the glass. She looked as though she was shouting something at him, but he couldn't hear. He felt his pupils go narrow with shock and fear, but a small warmth come to his cheeks in surprise. "Maka!" He shouted, preparing to stand, only to be halted by the sound of chuckling, coming from behind him.

"What a pitiful little attempt you have made here," Medusa's arm was stretched out, an arrow coiled around it into a point and spinning like a drill. "You made it all this way… such pathetic determination. It's all fueled by lies. Now, here is the truth." Crona picked himself off the ground in preparation to fight. He needed to defeat her! He was going to cut her up into little pieces! She couldn't use her wavelength moves any more. It was all a matter of who got hurt the most first. With Crona, resisting a blow would be smooth sailing. There was no way he would loose. Oh, how wrong he was.

Put off by his discovery of the witch's captive, he couldn't block it. Medusa took hold of his robe, pulling him towards her as she drove her other hand right into his stomach, the drill flinging an explosion of blood onto the floor. The arrows ripped through his flesh, sending static pain ringing throughout his abdomen. He cried out in agony, kicking her away from him and falling to his knees, one arm wrapped around his puncture. Why hadn't his blood hardened!? That was his only way he could win this! He lifted one trembling arm from his stomach, only to find a severe discoloration. His heart lurched as he eyed down the thick, red blood that now covered his arm.

"That's right," Medusa chuckled, "You left Ragnarok behind in your body. That means that you cannot fight, and you cannot block. It looks like you came all this way just to die. A shame too. You came so close," She made a sarcastic pout, resting her cheek on her folded arm as her arrow-shaped tail stabbed into the ground, holding her up as she crossed her legs. She grinned back, staring over at the crystal ball before picking it up, holding it in her one hand, dirtied with Crona's blood. "Perhaps I should kill her first. Make you agonize and fret before I put you down… No, I have a better idea. I'll extinguish you while you still have something to fight for. Maybe then this girl may be of some use once I'm done with her body. I have a new area of study in the Black Blood developing, you know."

Crona picked up a leg from a broken chair and ran at her, holding the blunt end like a handle and preparing to fight using the splintered end. If he could make use of his resources, he could still win this. "Vector Plate!" Medusa shouted, Black arrows appearing all over the room in a supposedly randomized pattern. The covered the floor, the walls, and even the roof. He stopped in confusion, trying to sort out some way of following them to get to her, only to find they were for a distraction. "Vector Arrow!" Suddenly a swarm of arrows snaked there way around the swordsman, wrapping around him and binding his arms and legs until he was immobilized. He strained his neck and abdomen in frustration, trying to wriggle free somehow, even though he knew that his attempts were futile.

"Let go of me!" He shouted in exasperation, panic swelling up in his chest once more. The arrows began to move once more, bringing him closer to her. She stared at him with her eyes locked on his own, empty, unfazed, and emotionless. It wasn't long before her expression changed back to that exact same chilling grin.

"You didn't let me finish!" She smirked, "Do you even know what the new experimentations contain? I've infused many genetic coding's within them, from witches and strong souls, building up so much power within it, even more so than your Black Blood! Once infused with it, it will feed off of her anger and turn her into what you were: a ruthless killing machine. Emotionless, following every order without moral or reason! Only this time, she'll follow it without hesitation!" Crona looked over at the crystal ball witch was placed back to rest on the table. Within it, Maka stared out at him with large, terrified eyes. She wasn't terrified for herself… she was terrified for him. "There is another catch to this experiment. She will be the perfect child. Born correctly, born right! She will be everything that you weren't! And you know, in my own personal opinion, I think she would make a _brilliant_ witch!"

"N-No!" His eyes went wide. He couldn't let something like that happen to her! He couldn't let something like that happen to his Maka!

"Of course, it seems as though we have reached an impasse. What about our trade? It seems fair enough, doesn't it? You continue to pursue defeating me, and I will kill you and Maka both, as well as everyone else who came into this building with you. However, if you come back here to my side, I will release Maka." He stopped. He needed to save Maka, but he couldn't risk doing this kind of thing again! If he went back to her side, he would never see his friends again, and what's worse, he might even end up turning against them! But there was so much innocent blood on the line here. The obvious choice was to come to her side… but witch choice would truly spill the most blood?

He couldn't loose his friends! He didn't know how to deal with it! He couldn't deal with it! His friends were everything to him, Maka was everything to him! He couldn't leave them behind! It would be too tragic, too much for him to handle, but being turned against them all would be even worse! Every time he would look into his eyes, he would see all of the best things that had happened with them! Everything they had done for him! And then suddenly, he would have to end it. He looked over at Maka, his eyes wide in terror. She shook her head. She didn't want him to go back to Medusa's side. Tears were welling up in his eyes. What should he do!? What could he do!? Was there anything he could choose!? He could tell Medusa would wait until he'd made up his mind.

He was considering resisting. He was considering it. But something wouldn't let him. It was the idea of Maka truly being dead. She had scared the living lights clean out of his mind when Medusa had stolen her, and sent him into the worst, reeling depression he had ever been forced to endure. He needed her, and that was all. He had gone after Medusa, the thing he felt he feared the most, and found her there. He couldn't give up now! Her eyes sparkled in his memory. The day she asked him to be friends with him. All those days she'd bared through with him, helping him get used to the world around him. The day he fled out to the desert, and she had called him back to her. The day that she gave him that kiss.

That is when he realized he loved her. That was how he realized that he needed her to survive. She was everything to him. And that one tiny spark given to him that one day in the school storage room… oh how ironic it was that he found himself in a place so similar, yet in a completely opposite situation. So many good things had happened in that room.

He didn't know why, but the comedic image once again popped into his head. The image of Black*Star being tangled up in Christmas lights as he fought to get down, only for his shoe to fly off, hit the moving treadmill, and knock over the nearby table. Something so simple had brought him such humor. And now, he was about to throw everything away. All his friends, all his happy memories. No matter what he chose, he would never see his friends, or Maka, ever again. His eyes stared downwards continuously, tracing the line of the Vector Plate below him. He followed its path, only to find it was pointing right to Maka. The arrow was pointing to what he wanted to do, not what he should do. But at the same time, what he wanted to do could very easily be the thing that he had to do.

His eyes widened, an idea worming its way into his head. What a stupid little idea. It was suicidal, inspired by the actions of an idiot's unintentional humor show, but it might very likely work.

With a growing ambition in his eyes, he turned to look up at Medusa. "I will never be your slave again!" He shouted, swinging his one leg sharply to beat off his opposite's shoe. It flew off his foot, hitting the Vector Plate below, and was shot towards the table on witch the crystal ball imprisoning Maka lay. To his luck, the shoe smacked against the table's leg, sending the structure toppling over. Medusa's eyes widened in fear and horror as she watched the crystal ball fly towards the ground. Once it was broken, Maka would be free to control her soul once more.

With an echoing smash, the crystal ball hit the ground. As soon as the first fracture broke loose, a forceful wave of pressure blew the two of them backwards, Medusa's arrows slipping off his limbs, releasing him. A large cloud of dust slowly accumulated in the center of the room, the epicenter placed where the ball had hit the ground. Medusa hit the wall with a sickening crack, her Vector Plates vanishing as soon as the sound rang out. On the other hand, Crona was thrown against a toppled over chair, skidding over it to smack into the backside of a couch, the fabric lightly breaking his fall. An eerie silence filled the room as the now three presences remained completely motionless.

The swordsman groaned, lifting his hand up to his stomach to grasp onto his still bleeding stomach, worsened by the impact. Realization hit him like a brick wall and he felt his pulse suddenly quicken. He shot himself upwards and began to run towards where the cloud of dust was disappearing, collapsing onto his knees to crouch before the pigtailed meister, now laying on the ground. She wasn't unconscious, but close to it. Scooping her up in his arms, he stared into her eyes in panic, attempting to make some kind of communication with her. Her eyes were empty and hollow, no light shining in them.

"M-Maka!?" He cried out in terror, shaking her shoulders gently as tears slowly began to come to his eyes. He brushed her bangs out of her face, taking in every inch of her beauty. "Maka, can you hear me!?" Her eyebrows tilted up slightly as she gave him a tiny, inviting smile. Her hand slowly began to move as she regained consciousness, lifting it up closer to his face.

"You came here for me?" She whispered, staring into his eyes. "Why would you do that?"

"B-B-because I…" He had no fear in saying it anymore, "I cannot live without you. I know that you don't believe in love, but I do." A small tear made its way down his cheek as she began to stir further, "and I-I-I think I'm in l-love with y-you." She paused, staring at him with large, caring eyes.

Pushing herself up to look at him better, she sat down on the tiled floor and lifted a hand to his cheek. With her thumb, she wiped the tear away, smiling back at him. Slowly, with trembling arms, he lifted both his hands up to curl gently on her neck, pulling her head in closer to his. Their foreheads met, resting against eachother gently, and timidly. He didn't care that she didn't believe in love. He didn't care if love wasn't even real. He just took the moment to take everything in. Her calming presence that has been his only aid through all of those months; Her sweet smell filling his nose, smelling so natural, not covered in perfume, but more like the sweet smell of a flower; the touch of her hands as she held him close to her, an embrace to never be forgotten. She was his savior, his angel, and he would protect her forever.

Slowly, he pulled her head away to stare her in her eyes once more. He loved her eyes. They were always so pretty, as green as the grass and as radiant as the sun, filled with tranquility and caring. "We should go now. Everyone's waiting…" He whispered.

"Okay." She said, slowly beginning to stand up. Was it really over? It had to be. He was reunited, and now, he could keep on living. The two of them slowly made their way towards the door, their fingers intertwined with each others, their souls locked in a gentle resonating. As long as they were together, their promise remained.

And just like that, she had collapsed motionless. Ragnarok took a step back, put off, and in the least, bewildered. She had just fallen over! Just like that! What was wrong with her? He swore, she was such an aggravation, yet at the same time, this suspicious behavior was concerning. What had happened just there!? They were fighting, battling it out, being all epic, when suddenly she just dropped like a ragdoll! Gees, what a spaz. A sudden thought floated into his mind as he slowly wiped a trickle of black blood off his busted lip.

_Oh gods! What if I killed her!?_ He jumped at the thought, wandering over to her still body and eyeing her down. _Crona's going to beat me till the day we die if I killed her! Gods, hell never forgive me! He'll have me removed and slaughtered at his own hands! I don't even know if that's possible, but hell, it'll happen!_ He crouched down next to her, staring into her face in an attempt to find some kind of life.

Lifting a finger up near her neck, he felt around for a pulse. When he didn't find one at first, panic bubbled up ferociously in his chest. He gasped, franticly searching until he finally found it. He let out a long low sigh of relief, flopping backwards to sit down in liberation. She was alive. Something had happened in her soul, that was all. Was the battle over? Ragnarok hoped it was, it had been nearly a half hour since Crona ventured into her soul! He was getting tired of just fighting without being able to hurt her.

He sighed and looked at her motionless face, her eyes closed as if she was asleep. "I wasn't worried about you." He frowned, a slight blush coming to his face. He crossed his arms and looked away, adverting her nonexistent gaze as if in wait for a response. When none came, he turned back to face her, staring at her hair. Was he really considering…? No. He wouldn't. That was a stupid childish repulsive thing that Crona would do, not him.

But only after a few seconds did he find himself taking hold of the braid in front of her, untying it and beginning to bunch the hair into two poorly made pigtails. Once he was done, he laid her back down, observing his handiwork.

"There. You look better like that." He crossed his arms again, looking away in embarrassment. He sighed, chuckling slightly. "Heh… the things I do for Crona. I swear I'm going to kill him if he's not already dead."

They made their way towards the door, slowly but surely finding their way to get back home. It was time to return. Time to come back and greet their friends, time to show everyone that Maka was alright, and that Medusa had been ended. Crona smiled towards the ground. Everything was going to get better from now on. He could feel it. No more living in the shadows… no more living in fear. He could deal with anything, so long as he had Maka beside him.

Maka let out a startled gasp at what was in front of her. Crona jumped at this sudden outburst, turning to look at what she saw. He didn't meet the area she had found. Instead, his eyes ventured to the place where Medusa had been shot over towards. His eyes scanned over the entire area where Medusa was laying. No… more concerning… where Medusa _wasn't_ laying. That moment, his heart sunk to the ground, falling far past the bedrock. The battle wasn't over. No, it had merely begun.

"Why looking so startled, Crona?" Medusa's voice rang out through the room. "You didn't really think you could defeat me that easily, did you?" She laughed. Maka stood defensively in waiting of the witch's appearance. They stood motionless in waiting, their breathing mimicking each others as they braced themselves to fight once more. With one foul chant, Vector Plates appeared throughout the room, creating an entirely new makeshift labyrinth around them.

A sudden burst of arrows from the ground threw Crona and Maka apart from eachother, separating them. Crona gasped in surprise as his body was lifted off the floor once more, several arrows digging into his tender flesh where he had been cut. This wasn't his body that was damaged, but his soul. If he wasn't careful, he wouldn't be able to make it back to Ragnarok, back to his own body. He would simply just slip away into nothingness. No, now was not the time to think about that! He had to focus on the task at hand! He just had to! Picking himself off the ground once more, he picked up another splintered piece of wood, his eyes searching franticly to find the hidden witch.

"Vector arrow!" She screeched from behind him. He spun around quickly, jumping out of the way of her attack and stabbing into her side with the sharp, splintered edges of the wood. Due to the dullness, it merely broke the skin, leaving no true damage dealt. "Stop being so persistent! Why do you keep on fighting just to protect one stupid girl!" She declared, a burst of arrows throwing him backwards. "You mean nothing to her, and she should very well mean nothing to you. What did I tell you about love!? It isn't a real emotion! It's nothing but a concept!"

"N-No…" Crona stood back up, anger flaring in his eyes. "You don't know anything a-about love… you're a witch!" Her sharp glare burned holes into him as she beckoned another Vector Arrow to appear underneath him. He flew backwards once again, smacking into several boxes as he came crashing down.

"Witches cannot love…" Her voice was cold and husky, "And neither can you. Because it's Not. Real!" Crona shuddered. He didn't want to believe it. He would never believe a word she said! All she said was lies!

"Medusa!" He heard Maka's voice sound off from across the room. "You have it wrong. Yes, love isn't an emotion. Yes, it is merely a concept. However, it's a power! It's a riddle! I see it now. And let me tell you something. Stop using that stupid 'witches cannot love' bull shit as an excuse for torturing your own son! It's not that you cannot love! It's that you refuse to love!" Her face was scrunched up in anger as she fired out at the serpent before her. Crona stared at her in awe, his jaw gaping as he struggled to regain a foothold on what he had just heard.

"You stupid girl. That isn't how things just simply work!" Medusa shouted back, firing an extreme gathering of arrows all right towards Maka. She was on the other side of the room, he couldn't get to her in time! Quickly, they snaked their way around, closing in on her at breakneck speed.

"Maka!" Crona cried out, terrified. He couldn't loose her! Not again! Not now! Not when they were so close! A sudden metallic ringing shot through the air as the arrows were sliced off, disintegrating into bits as a grey and black blade tore through them. The swordsman froze in fright, staring at the pigtailed meister before him. She had done it! She had transformed herself to a weapon! Her left arm was now completely transformed into a zig-zag-patterned scythe blade, prepared to strike. He could feel her soul touch his, begging to resonate once more.

He knew what she was going to do. With her anti-magic wavelength, cutting down Medusa's soul would be smooth sailing. They would win! They would save eachother, and their friends! No… they couldn't… They couldn't save themselves, nor could they personally save their friends. Did Maka know what this would entail? Did she know what having him wield her would do to their souls as well!? And in here too, would they slowly disintegrate on the spot? Or worse, would they vanish before the deed is done? But they had too! It was the only way they would be able to beat her!

Maka ran over to Crona, their souls caught up in resonating. She reached out her free hand for him, preparing her entire body to transform and to battle. He reached out his arm only for their hands to meet, Maka taking the chance to fully transform. In a blinding white light, the her shape slowly began to morph and transform into a scythe. With one last metallic clang, she had transformed.

In his hands, Crona now held a large curved scythe, it's blade shimmering in the light as it curled around. This was Maka. Though looking so much different than before, this was still her. This was still the exact same person he had known and loved for so long. For some reason, it didn't feel right. It didn't quite feel natural. She had been a meister for all this time, and now she had suddenly switched roles. Would they be able to do it? Yes. Crona was sure of it. He felt it in her wavelength. The determination, the strength, the courage. It filled up his own wavelength, filling his mind with peace, and filling his mind with courage.

"I know you're not a scythe meister," She muttered out to him, "Wielding a scythe and wielding a sword can be very different!"

"I think I can deal with it," Crona smiled at her, her image appearing in the blade, smiling back at him, "But Maka, do you know the consequences of doing this!? Professor Stein said-"

"I know," she interrupted, "And I have full faith that it won't happen. Even if it does, I wouldn't be happier to die fighting for someone I love." They both exchanged looks of happiness and bravery as they prepared to attack.

"Enough!" Medusa shouted, "No more of this nonsense!" She fired several arrows straight towards the two, rocketing towards them at the speed of light. With all of his concentration, Crona swung the blade up high into the air, preparing to meet the odd curve of the blade with the oncoming attack. As soon as the arrows were within range, he swung down, slicing them apart. Slowly, they began to disintegrate as the swordsman lifted the scythe into the air once more, this time in preparation.

"Ready?" Maka asked him. He replied with a nervous nod, forcing himself to remain poker-faced.

"Soul resonance!" They both shouted, the blade of Maka's scythe slowly beginning to glow. This was it. After this, they would very likely cease to exist. Crona felt their energies meet and intertwine, his body filling with power. This was it. This was the end! Crona's arms began to tremble with the oncoming force as the blade of the scythe slowly transformed, becoming larger, and charged all the more intensely.

He felt her wavelength completely mix with his, their souls beginning to tug and pull uncomfortably at eachother. A small burst of blood fell from his wound at the sensation, their conflicting wavelengths doing all that was possible to remain stable.

"Stop that, Crona!" Medusa shouted, anger in her voice, "You are going to tear each other's souls apart. You know, there is another way, where you can both live! Crona, just calm yourself down, and come back to your mother!"

"I pity you," Crona's eyebrow furrowed as he choked down his anger, "You never had the ambition to find the second drive. That means that your only motivation was fear."

"And yours was not?" She smirked.

"No." He stated, matter-of-factly, "Not any more."

"Afreet Hunter!" And at that, he raised the fully transformed blade high into the air. He had seen Maka battle like this many times, and now, she was showing him what to do. Like in a dance, even though he was leading, she was the one guiding him the whole way. The shine was a bright white riddled with a deep blue, almost like a black light, shimmering in the common found red light of the room. Swinging the scythe behind him like a bat, he charged at Medusa, letting out a war cry as he swung the scythe around him, the blade smoothly sliding through the collection of boxes and bins around him as he prepared to strike.

"Not so fast!" Medusa shouted, jumping up into the air as she shot down a storm of Vector Arrows right on top of them. Crona felt them dig into his skin as he struggled to slice them away. She landed on top of the chandelier, causing it to swing back and forth, flickering the candles. Crona felt a lurch in his abdomen as Maka's wavelength tugged violently at him once more. Sweat was beading on his forehead as his weak and tired body was worn away further. "Now then," She murmured, "How about we shed a little bit of light on this situation!" She grinned as she beckoned him to attack once more.

Taking the chance, he lifted up the scythe and sliced down on where she was. A couple of arrows grasped onto the scythe, leading it elsewhere. Crona gasped as the chandelier was cut from its hinges, falling down to the ground with a mighty thud. The swordsman jumped back, suddenly letting out a cry of pain as his wavelength started to rip.

"Crona!" Maka shouted at him, fear and concern in her voice, "Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine," He muttered, "Lets finish this!" He took off once more for Medusa, now using her Vector Plates to ensure evasive maneuvers as the pair slowly closed in, bracing for one last attack.

"Vector Blade!" Medusa shouted, a collection of arrows forming into one in her hand, making a deadly blade. This move was bad news. He couldn't attack well at all against her! Yet something told him to keep on going. He had to! He needed to! He needed to finish this right here and now! He swung down on her as she raised up her blade, blocking the attack. "Vector Storm!" She shouted, separating the two. Crona was thrown back, his back hitting a pile of boxes hard as they toppled over, the sound of shattering glass rang through the room as Maka's attack was reduced to nothingness. He moaned in pain, picking himself off the ground.

He hadn't smelled it, felt it, or heard it before this time, but now the awful burning smell that filled his nose, the burning heat coming from near him and the smacking and cracking of sparks flew out into the air. He spun around to look at the burning light, boxes and couches and chairs all caught on fire and spitting out sparks, slowly growing, lapping away at everything in its path. _The chandelier! When it fell, the candles must have lit a fire!_ He shook, reaching out to pick up Maka once more, preparing to attack. Medusa approached him once more with her blade in hand, the fire surrounding her giving her devilish, yellow eyes a petrifying look. She lifted up her blade once more.

"You are still such an idiot." She swung away at him, Crona lifting the scythe just in time to block her attack. He picked himself off the ground, and to hiss horror and dismay, found himself surrounded by the horrible forest of flames. The bright red tongues began to leave scorch marks on the ceiling, blackening everything it came into contact with. How had it spread so quickly!? How!? "Look at what you have done!" She cackled out, slowly losing it, "Now we're both going to die! No… only one is to die today…"

"It'll be you!" Crona shouted, lifting up the scythe and attacking her ferociously, each one missing its mark or getting deflected by a slice of her sword. For minuets and on, they swung at eachother as the fire grew to envelop the whole room. "Maka!" Crona suddenly realized, "Are you okay!? Is this hurting you!?" This was her soul, after all. If it was on fire, she wouldn't have much time left.

"I-I'm fine! This isn't a part of my soul! She altered it and added this room on. This is her soul." Crona looked up at the blade, to find Maka's image staring back at him. "We can still win this. Trust me." She smiled. That smile. That smile was what kept him alive. That smile is what made him happy, what warmed his heart and comforted him… that smile is what kept his promise. "You ready!?" She shouted once more.

"Yes!" Crona responded, balancing his wavelength. They needed to go even bigger if they were to defeat Medusa. Yet, they had no training in this field, and a high chance of their souls breaking apart!

"Soul Resonance!" They bellowed in harmony as the blade began to warp and transform once more. Crona felt his wavelength begin to tear once more, but he shoved it out of his mind.

"Crona, listen to me." Maka stated, "Saying that this will tear our souls apart is like saying that a witch cannot love. It is a forced belief base on a concept. You cannot believe it! If you do believe it, it will happen!" And suddenly, their souls touched. They touched deeply, winding around eachother and bonding together as one. "Serpent Hunter!" Maka shouted out as the blade burst into the full form. Crona was sure now. He wasn't afraid of fighting beside her any more. He wasn't afraid of winning this battle. He was going to win, and he was going to save his friends! Taking a step back but avoiding the fire, he rewound in preparation to strike. Letting out one last ferocious battle cry, he launched himself towards the witch, swinging the blade around at her. She lifted up her blade, their two attacks meeting.

Slowly but surely the blade began to rip in two as Crona pressed down more and more. This was the final attack! He pushed his entire strength into the blade, forcing it downwards until eventually, it passed through the blade, colliding with the witch. She screamed out in terror as the blade began to tear through her. It sunk deep into her flesh, sending her blood into the air. He pulled right through, slicing her neatly in half.

He took a step back, panting as the witch's mutilated body fell to the ground. It was over now. He watched as the fire slowly began to eat away at her, doing away with the last of the life she still contained. His breath was heavy and his entire body ached and trembled. Maka transformed back into her human form, approaching him slowly and silently. He couldn't look at his mother any longer. It was too much. He didn't care what she had done to him, in the end, maybe he still did love her, just that little bit. He screwed his eyes shut and pointed his head towards the ground as the pigtailed meister walked up beside him, wrapping her one arm around his shoulder.

"Crona…" A hoarse and rattled voice sounded off from the fire as the serpent took its last breaths. He looked back up at her, her eyes large and sad. "I love you…"

Crona blinked his eyes open. His body felt rigid and weak, but his soul felt even more so. The battle was over now. Medusa's soul was gone. Maka was safe. He was back in his own body now. Placing his hand down on the ground firmly, he began to lift himself up, his arms wobbling at the elbow in his exhaustion. Sitting himself up, he placed one hand over his head where a large bruise, supposedly from Ragnarok's fighting, now grew. He blinked a couple of times, his fuzzy vision becoming more and more clear.

He was still locked up in the independent cube, blood an rips of clothing scattered around the horrendous fight scene. Laying on the ground in front of him was Maka, still dressed in Medusa's attire, though her face had become much more calm, her hair returned to it's natural mousy-blonde shade and been bunched up into her regular pigtails. His heart jumped. _Maka! Was she okay!? Oh, please let her be okay!_ Hurriedly he made his way over to her, lifting her head off the ground to rest in his lap as he stared into her for some form of life.

"M-Maka?" He whispered out. With that one word, here eyes slowly fluttered open, the beautiful, radiant green shining from them. Her eyes met his, and their gazes held for the longest of times. "I-It's okay," Crona mumbled out, "It's all over now. We are safe."

"Crona…" She whispered, her voice slightly hoarse, "Thank you…" Slowly, she moved he hand to help prop herself back up, the white of the cube beginning to flicker. The swordsman stared up at the walls, the magic of the cube slowly fading away. It flickered on and off, the change slowly becoming more rapid as the room came into focus. Maka stared up at it confusion in her eyes as she struggled to keep herself sitting upright. Eventually, the flickering stopped as the room was revealed. They still sat on Medusa's main brick where she had always remained, the rest of the room dark and fuzzy with the still pattern of the bricks around them. Those bricks would very likely never move again. Standing just beyond where the cube had reached was the group. They had been freed from their prisons and gathered here in anticipation and wait, praying that the outcome of the battle would be to their favor. And it was.

Crona's head spun as they all rushed in to help the two. He didn't hear much that they were saying, but it was mostly a mix of "Thank you" and "I'm so glad you're okay." They all rushed to greet Maka once more, surrounding and embracing her after weeks of supposing she was dead. Everything around him moved quickly and roughly, though his eyes continued to scan the crowd for one face. One more face that he needed to see before he was satisfied… where were they?

"Crona?" Sid's voice spoke to him in worry, "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah…" He muttered.

"There's um, there's something I need to tell you. It's about Miss. Marie… Here, come with me."

Crona knew where he was going. He was being lead back to the place where Marie and the Jormungandr had battled. This was where he would find the face he was looking for. This was where he would find his true mother. Was she okay? He didn't know. Was she alive? He didn't know. He dreaded finding the answer, for he had felt from Sid's tone of voice that something bad had happened. His shoes tapped on the marble as they made their way across the floating blocks to where the doorway that had separated the two had been removed. Stein sat down inside, working away franticly. So he had been freed too, then.

Crona let out a gasp as he entered the room. There was blood everywhere, red, black, coating the floors, the walls, and the roof. The Jormungandr itself lay lifeless on one side of the room, black acid still dripping from its two heads. Laying before Prof. Stein was Miss. Marie, motionless and cold. Her eyes were closed and her hands were both tattered to shreds. Prof. Stein worked away, wrapping up her arms and attempting to stop the bleeding. His body began to shake once more. Was she alive? From here he couldn't tell.

"I-Is she okay…?" Crona mumbled out, fear in his voice.

"I…" the patchwork Professor took a deep breath. "I don't think that she'll make it." His voice was riddled with agony as the words spilled out, his face turned away from the two. Medusa had taken her last victim… no, it couldn't be! How could he just get Maka back, only to loose Miss. Marie!? He swallowed down a lump in his throat. How could this happen!? How!?

"A comrade that can never be lost." Were the only words Crona could manage to say. He didn't even tell them to come from his mouth, they just did. He stared over at the Jormungandr, anger in his eyes. What a beast. What a monster. It was nothing but a lifeless machine set to kill. It had no feelings or morals, and it could have never gained them either. All it knew was to kill for its master. He screwed his eyes shut and looked away.

A shimmer.

A tiny little shimmer.

It caught his eye, and he turned to find its origin. The Jormungandr. It's right head… the teeth on its right head were beginning to glisten with a pure white substance, shimmering like a sweet crystal cloth.

_"The blood from the Gorgon's left side produces a deadly poison, while the blood from the Gorgon's right can cure any injury and bring the dead back to life."_ He heard the voice of the shadow in his head, and what it had spoken to him as he had been battling the madness. Of course!

"P-Professor!" He shouted, approaching the serpent on the floor, "I know how we can save her! The Jormungandr said it to me when we were battling… Blood from Medusa's left side is a deadly poison, but blood from the right could bring the dead back to life!"

"What!?" He looked up at the swordsman.

"The J-Jormungandr was made up of the two snakes on M-Medusa's arms… and when the two heads grew, the two s-snakes separated! I t-t-think that this acid is the cure!"

"Here, move over," Stein hurried up beside him, observing the white fluid. He took a small testing tube from his medical kit and scooped up a sample from the creature's mouth. "Sid!" He shouted back at the zombie, "I need you to get Marie into life support! I'll take this back to the lab, and when I determine it's safe, we can use this to heal her!"

"R-right!" Sid rushed over beside the unconscious teacher, reaching into Stein's bag and pulling out several articles. A makeshift breathing mask, a miniaturized heart monitor… many more strange apparatuses. Stein picked up another sample before turning to the group.

"All right! We have to move now! We will tend to the injured and the weak, but we will have to get moving. Everyone, follow me."

Crona sat on the ground alone. Everyone else was busy bringing Miss. Marie to the truck, hurrying through the jungle as fast as they could. Crona had stayed behind to clear his mind. He just needed a quick moment of silence. So much had happened that day… he went from thinking Maka was gone in the morning, to saving her in the after noon. It was evening now, and he was feeling like his old self again. Still quiet, still shy, but at the same time, he felt as though he had grown up today. At least a little bit. The world was always in motion, and whether he chose to be afraid of it or not was his choice.

A second presence wandered over to him, sitting down beside him. He didn't have to look over to know who is was. Her presence was enough to calm his reeling mind. Her touch was enough to cure his sadness. Her voice was enough to fill him with courage. He smiled towards her, greeting her silently.

"So did you find the answer to your riddle?" She muttered.

Crona paused. "Yah, I guess I did." He let out a tiny giggle.

"What did you find?" He placed her hand on his, causing him to jump slightly, his face flushing pure red.

"The second motivation… the one that creates courage… I think what it was… as cheesy as it sounds… I think it might be love."

"I don't think that's cheesy at all." She giggled.

"When y-you defeated the Kishin, something g-g-gave you enough strength to defeat it with your wavelength… and t-that was courage… b-but I learned that courage d-d-doesn't come from thin air… you l-loved your mother. That is what gave you all that c-courage." He smiled. "And I discovered one more thing… about the riddle you gave me…" he said after a long pause.

"What did you find?"

"What I feared the m-m-most… it was never truly Medusa." He stopped, staring at the ground, "Sure that's where I found you once I sought it out, but there was one more thing that I sought out… and there was one more thing that I found you in… and it made me realize that that's what I feared the most…" He stopped. He couldn't speak much anymore. Maka wrapped her fingers in between his in curiosity.

"Can you tell me?" She tilted her head to stare into his eyes.

"I feared the future. I feared continuing on, because I never knew what was going to happen… when I sought it out, however, I found you." He turned to face her, a shy smile on her face

"You don't have to be afraid anymore." She smiled, "You don't have to face anything on your own any more. I'll be here to help you, forever."

"Promise?" Crona's eyes watered.

_"Promise."_

**END**

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><p><strong>Hello! It's thetruewizardkitty, and I'd just like to thank you all so much for reading my fanfiction, it really means a lot to me!<strong>

**I'm really sorry this chapter took so long to get out (It got kind of long, as you can tell XD) But I hope you liked it anyways! It's been really awesome making my first fanfiction, and I'm sorry this one ended up so short. Next time, I promise I'll make a bit of a longer one, but for now, thanks so much for reading this one! If you'd like to check out my devinatART where I'll be posting some of the concept art for this story, my username is still thetruewizardkitty. C:**

**Once again, a huge thank you for all of the reviews, favs, and follows that I got in these last few months, It really inspires me to write more! So I hope you enjoyed A Heart For A Soul, and I hope you'll like some of my future stories too!**

**-Kitty**


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